Health Care Advocate: March 26, 2026

Table of Contents House Sets Health Affordability Committee, Interim Charges Today, the Texas House of Representatives published its Select Committees – including one with a significant focus on health care – and followed up with the release of the Interim Charges. With health care continuing to be a hot-button issue, the interim charges reflect that priority, with several committee charges related to health care, state health agencies,…

Health Care Advocate: March 19, 2026

Table of Contents HHSC to Reinstate ATLIS for FY26 The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced plans to reinstate the Aligning Technology by Linking Interoperable Systems (ATLIS) program in managed care contracts for state fiscal year 2026. HHSC said this decision follows a “renewed willingness” among Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and in-network providers to work together toward…

Health Care Advocate: March 12, 2026

Table of Contents THA Tackles the Cost of Health Care The cost of health care continues to dominate national headlines and fuel critical conversations in Texas. This interim, THA is focused on clarifying the true sources hiking up health care costs and pushing for changes that center on affordability for facilities, addresses the rising costs of drugs and supplies, relieves…

Health Care Advocate: March 5, 2026

Table of Contents Voter Turnout Records Shattered, Key Races Head to Runoffs Heading into Election Day, Texas well surpassed its early-voter turnout record with more than 2.5 million ballots cast. Votes are still being tallied – but both parties had monumental participation in the primary election with 2.2 and 2.1 million votes in the Democratic and Republican elections, respectively. After…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 26, 2026

Table of Contents THA Recommends Health Care Cost Topics for Interim THA recently shared its thoughts with key state lawmakers on what legislative committees should study during the Texas Legislature’s interim work for 2026. A letter sent to leadership in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services outlined THA’s recommendations for topics to study in the areas of health…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 19, 2026

Table of Contents HHS Revisits 340B Rebate Model, Seeks Hospital Input Through a recently issued request for information, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Office of Pharmacy Affairs – is seeking stakeholder input on the potential implementation of a reconsidered 340B rebate model program. The agency is currently…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 12, 2026

Table of Contents CMS Re-Proposes Marketplace Rules Halted in Court A rule proposal this week from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contains a new attempt by the agency to implement program integrity rules in the federal Health Insurance Marketplace that have been halted in federal court since August 2025. The CMS proposal includes special enrollment and income…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 5, 2026

Table of Contents Two Years of Medicaid DSH Cuts Erased in Funding Deal The latest federal government shutdown came to an end Tuesday and officially brought welcome news for hospitals as part of a new funding package, headlined by the elimination of two years’ worth of pending Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) cuts. Following a deal reached last week between…

Health Care Advocate: Jan. 29, 2026

Table of Contents Trump, Senate Democrats Announce Deal to Fund Government Shortly before press time, President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats announced an agreement to fund the federal government, according to multiple breaking news reports – one day before the deadline to avert a government shutdown. However, with the House of Representatives in recess until Monday, it’s unclear when the…

Health Care Advocate: Jan. 22, 2026

Table of Contents Federal Funding Package Would Erase Two Years of DSH Cuts A little more than a week before another federal government funding deadline hits, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee released a funding package that – if passed – would buy out scheduled Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) cuts for fiscal years (FY) 2026 and 2027, leaving just one…