Latest news with #HHSC
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Database for disasters? Texas bill aims to up emergency preparedness in senior living
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Through summer heat and winter storms in recent years, state lawmakers have often weighed how to best keep older Texans safe during power outages. Devastation during Hurricane Beryl in 2024 revived the push for more backup power generation and other emergency preparedness efforts. Dr. Suleman Lalani, D-Sugar Land, said his constituents reported 'heartbreaking' stories about older people 'left completely alone' in independent senior living facilities and complexes during the summer storm. BACKGROUND: Push to require backup generators at senior living facilities after Texas winter storm 'Abandoned by property managers, and the families feeling misled or betrayed,' he told lawmakers on the House Human Services Committee this week. 'Imagine an elderly grandmother on a fixed income, trapped alone on the fourth floor of a building because the elevators no longer worked.' The committee heard testimony on Tuesday about Lalani's proposal to create a statewide database of emergency preparedness plans for senior living complexes. He said he is particularly concerned with independent senior living facilities, which are not regulated by the state in the same way as nursing homes or assisted living but often market to people ages 55 or 65 and older. Protecting seniors in storms: Texas lawmakers eye emergency preparedness after Beryl In an interview last fall about the proposed legislation, now known as HB 863, Lalani told KXAN he believes a database of these health and safety plans could help state and local first responders or emergency management agencies better coordinate their response to these facilities during disasters. 'We are talking about seniors that have disabilities. They have challenges; they have chronic illnesses. We had people with amputations stuck on the third floor. We had people with memory impairment,' he told KXAN at the time. MORE: How many Texas senior living facilities have backup power? HHSC reveals survey results Carmen Tilton, the Vice President of Public Policy at the Texas Assisted Living Association, testified against the bill this week. She said the bill, as written, directs landlords to do more than they legally can or should. She pointed to parts of the Texas Property Code, that regulates landlord-tenant relationships, and said if landlords are providing a certain level of care to older tenants, they would essentially need to be licensed as a long-term care facility and regulated further by the state. 'This is a significant shift in how the Texas legislature has traditionally viewed the relationship between a landlord and a tenant. The expectation in an independent living facility is that the resident is 'independent.' In that independence, it is expected that a resident would manage their own personal needs, even during an emergency event,' she said. PREVIOUS: Some Austin nursing homes, assisted living facilities still without power She also noted concerns about a provision in the bill that would also require these independent facilities to have an emergency generator or another source of backup power. For years, KXAN investigators have followed efforts to require more backup power at places where older people live. Some types of facilities are already required to have a certain amount of backup generation in at least parts of the building, but many previous efforts to increase or expand these requirements have failed. Opponents of these efforts, including Tilton and the association, argue the move is cost-prohibitive and not practical for many smaller homes. In 2022, Tilton told KXAN investigators, 'You can't just put forth this mandate and expect everybody to make it, particularly when some of our providers in rural and underserved communities are just barely hanging on.' RELATED: After Hurricane Beryl, Texas lawmakers push for generators at senior living facilities She reiterated those concerns in Tuesday's hearing about the impact of increased regulation on an already strained supply of facilities to care for Texas' growing older population. Tilton and a representative from LeadingAge both applauded parts of the bill that aimed to improve communication and assistance to these types of locations during disasters. They said their organizations would be open to working with Lalani. The bill's author insisted the state could not 'do nothing.' 'HB 863 is not just a wish or a want. It is a desperate need,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fired state employees breached the personal data of 33,529 more Texans
Texas Health and Human Services Commission late Wednesday began notifying another 33,529 recipients of state benefits that their private information had been improperly accessed. The latest announcement comes as the state agency continues to investigate a series of breaches by its own employees of its database for Medicaid, food stamp and other assistance programs. Three months ago, the state notified 61,104 Texans that their personal information may have been improperly accessed by state employees. At that time, seven state employees tied to the breach had been fired including two who stole from recipients food stamp cards. In February, the agency notified lawmakers that another two state employees had been fired, bringing to a total of nine state employees who had accessed individuals' accounts without a stated business reason. HHSC officials said Wednesday that these fired employees are now responsible for breaching the personal information of another 33,529 account holders who had either applied or received assistance between June 2021 and January 2025. It is not known how many of those account holders had their benefits compromised. The state agency recommends that affected individuals carefully review their accounts and health care provider, insurance company and financial institution statements to make sure their account activity is correct. Any questionable charges should be reported promptly to the provider or company and contact law enforcement. HHSC advises Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to check their Lone Star Card transactions for potential fraudulent activity at or through the Your Texas Benefits mobile app. Recipients who believe they may have been a victim of SNAP fraud should call 2-1-1, select a language, and choose option 3 to report the fraud to the Texas Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. They should also contact law enforcement to report the fraud and visit a local HHSC benefits office to have their benefits replaced. HHSC has determined full names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, Social Security numbers, Medicaid and Medicare identification numbers, financial, employment, banking, benefits, health, insurance, medical, certificate, license and other personal information may have been inappropriately accessed. Recipients who want to know more can go to this link on the agency's website. The state agency is offering two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to those affected by the breach. They can also call 866-362-1773, toll-free and use the engagement number B139792. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More than 31,000 undocumented patients sought medical care in Texas in November, state data shows
AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 31,000 undocumented people sought medical care in Texas in November 2024 after an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott directed hospitals to start collecting data on patients' immigration status. Abbott signed Executive Order No. GA-46 on Aug. 8, 2024. The order directed hospitals to start collecting information 'regarding patients who are not lawfully present in the United States,' beginning Nov. 1, 2024, including the number of patients and the cost of care provided to those patients. The governor said the executive order was in response to then-President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' 'open border policies.' 'What we are trying to do is we are trying to gather information so first we can determine the magnitude of the challenge that we face,' Gov. Abbott told KXAN in an April 3 interview. 'Assuming the magnitude is large, I think there would be every reason why the state of Texas would have the right to sue the United States government, because it is the United States government's responsibility to pay for any of the costs concerning illegal immigration, and Texas and Texas healthcare facilities should not bear that burden.' Data released by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Friday shows 31,012 undocumented patients visited an emergency department or were discharged as an inpatient in November, costing the state more than $121 million. HHSC provided little context to those numbers, so it's unclear the total share of patients that were undocumented. A similar law in Florida requires hospitals in that state to collect the same information. Data released by Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration shows that in 2024, only 0.76% of patients self-identified as undocumented, while 92.5% said they were either a U.S. citizen or in the country lawfully. About 6.7% of patients declined to answer the question. While hospitals in Texas are required to ask each patient their immigration status, patients are not required to answer. In addition, hospitals are required to inform patients that responding to the question will not affect their care. Still, immigrant advocate groups are concerned about the executive order's impact. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas previously told KXAN it was worried the order would discourage undocumented Texans from seeking necessary medical care. 'This order should not impact anybody's access to care — period,' David Donatti, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Texas, said. 'Whether you are native-born, a U.S. citizen, an immigrant, whatever your status should be, you should be able to access the healthcare that you need, and the facility should not have the ability to block you from receiving that kind of care. That is crystal clear as a matter of federal law.' Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation at 17% — more than double the national average. Five million Texans had no insurance as of 2022, the Texas Hospital Association (THA) reported. In 2023, hospitals provided more than $8.1 billion in 'charity care' for uninsured people, with more than $3 billion not reimbursed. Most uninsured Texans are citizens, however. While 1.6 million undocumented immigrants live in Texas, they go to the hospital at lower rates than U.S. citizens and make up a minority of the uninsured cost burden on state hospitals, the Texas Tribune reported. Hospitals are required to report the data to HHSC each quarter, and the first set of data was due by March 1, 2025. As part of the executive order, the data will be reported annually, beginning next year, to the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Int'l Business Times
24-04-2025
- Health
- Int'l Business Times
"Tens of Thousands" of Undocumented Patients Cost Texas Hospitals "Millions," Per State Official
A Texas state employee testified before the House Public Health Committee on Monday, revealing that "tens of thousands" of uninsured non-U.S. citizens received treatment in state hospitals in recent months, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The disclosure lacks exact numbers and dollar amounts—data that was supposed to be available by March 1, a deadline given by Gov. Greg Abbott last summer when he ordered Texas hospitals that accept Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to begin asking patients about their citizenship or immigration status starting in November 2024. According to The Texas Tribune's coverage of the Monday committee hearing, 558 hospitals responded to the order, submitting the data they gathered over the past few months. However, the data lacks consistency, with some hospitals submitting handwritten documents that had to be manually entered. "The number of visits was in the thousands, the tens of thousands, and the costs were in the millions," said Victoria Grady, director of provider finance at HHSC, during the hearing, adding that the data should be finalized by the end of the week. Abbott signed the order in August, claiming that Texas "absorbs a large percentage of the costs associated with medical care for individuals who are not lawfully in the United States." Despite the policy, hospitals are required to assure patients that their citizenship status will not affect their access to care. Advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have emphasized that while hospitals must ask the question, patients can refuse to answer or state that they do not wish to respond. During Monday's hearing, the House Public Health Committee reviewed a legislative proposal from state Rep. Mike Olcott, R–Fort Worth, that would officially require hospitals to submit an annual report, streamlining the process similarly to how the state of Florida did back in 2023. Olcott emphasized the effect of "uncompensated care" on "small rural hospitals," claiming that 181 of them have closed since 2005 due to non-paying patients. "The goal of this is simply to know what percentage of that uncompensated care is due to people here illegally," he explained. Those opposing the order and the legislative proposal argue that the bulk of uncompensated care comes from uninsured American citizens. With the highest uninsured rate in the nation at 17%, Texas has approximately five million residents without health insurance, the Texas Hospital Association (THA) reported. In 2023, hospitals provided over $8 billion in care for the uninsured, with more than $3 billion remaining unreimbursed. However, most uninsured Texans are citizens. Originally published on Latin Times
Associated Press
22-04-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Early Texas hospital data shows millions spent in care for non-U.S. citizens
Preliminary data shows that 'tens of thousands' of patients who were not 'lawfully' in the United States were treated by Texas hospitals in recent months and the cost for their care is in the millions of dollars, according to a state employee testifying before lawmakers late Monday. Gov. Greg Abbottordered Texas hospitals last summer to begin asking all patients to disclose whether they were 'lawfully in the United States.' Patients were told their answers would not jeopardize their access to health care but they were not legally required to answer. Hospitals were expected to turn in their first months of data by March 1 but it has not been released publicly yet. But during a House Public Health Committee hearing on a bill from state Rep. Mike Olcott, R-Fort Worth, that would formalize Abbott's order into a regular annual report each year, a Texas Health and Human Services Commission executive answered lawmakers' questions about what the agency has learned so far from the 558 Texas hospitals that have responded to Abbott's order. 'The number of visits was in the thousands, the tens of thousands, and the costs were in the millions,' said Victoria Grady, director of provider finance at HHSC, 'We should be finalizing the data by the end of the week.' Several media outlets, including The Texas Tribune, have asked for the data following the hospitals' first March 1 deadline set by Abbott's office. Grady and Olcott detailed why there's been such a delay in getting that first snapshot out into the public view. 'They actually got some data on like pieces of paper,' Olcott told committee members. Grady confirmed that the agency has had to, on occasion, manually input data on paper that was mailed into the agency from some hospitals into a spreadsheet. She also said she expects the data to be released by the agency later this week. Abbott's order told hospitals to begin collecting information in November 2024. But it's not clear if the data collected by the 558 hospitals was just for that month or all months since then Olcott said his bill, like one already passed in 2023 in Florida, is necessary because it would streamline the survey process and keep Texans informed about how their tax dollars were spent. 'Since 2005, we've had 181 small rural hospitals close primarily due to uncompensated care,' Olcott said. 'The goal of this is simply to know what percentage of that uncompensated care are due to people here illegally.' According to the Texas Hospital Association, hospitals in this state spend $3.1 billion a year on uninsured care that is not reimbursed. But a large portion of that is for American citizens who are uninsured in Texas. The state has one of the highest rates of uninsured residents in the nation, with more than 4 million without health insurance coverage. Lynn Cowles, health and food justice programs manager at Every Texan, which advocates for better health care in Texas, testified on that fact. 'I think one of the big issues with this bill –– if it is intended to understand the problems of rural hospitals closing across the state –– is that the pool of uncompensated care is so large because of the amount of citizens who are uninsured in Texas,' Cowles said. ___ This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
