Latest news with #HouseBill18
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas legislature looks to help rural hospitals struggling to stay open
LA GRANGE, Texas (Nexstar) — Right on Highway 77, a few miles from downtown La Grange, sits a hospital that once provided emergency services and orthopedic surgery. Now, the St. Mark's Medical Center is an empty building with a sign on the front door that reads, 'Sorry, we're closed.' The hospital closed in October 2023 because of 'ongoing inability to meet its financial obligations,' according to a news release that announced the closure. St. Mark's was the only hospital in Fayette County. About a mile from the empty hospital is the building that houses Fayette County's EMS fleet and personnel. Josh Vandever, the EMS Chief for the county, said he and his team cover 960 square miles and respond to about 4,000 calls a year. Before St. Mark's closed, Vandever said his team would transport between 50% and 60% of their calls to the local hospital. Now, Vandever said he and his team are taking patients to emergency rooms in Smithsville and Columbus, both about 20 minutes away in either direction. But sometimes Vandever's team is making the hour-long trip to Austin for some patients. Vandever said the patient outcome has not suffered, but what has suffered is the wear-and-tear on his vehicles and the distance for families in the community. 'You can't just go down the street to check on mom or dad at the hospital. Now they have to drive to Columbus, Smithville, or even in to Austin,' Vandever explained. St. Mark's story is not unique. In the past 15 years, more than 20 rural Texas hospitals have closed because of financial issues. The most recent closure will happen this week after the Mid Coast Health System announced it is closing a hospital in Trinity. John Henderson, the President of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH) advocates for hospitals in vulnerable communities that need financial assistance. He said problems can be contributed to a combination factors, including a low patient volume and a high percentage of Medicaid and Medicare customers. 'Which is such a tough recipe for survival,' Henderson explained. Henderson said Medicaid does not pay the full cost of the services provided by the hospital, which leads to many hospitals operating with revenue shortfalls.. He said there are fewer commercially insured patients in rural areas. 'Rural hospitals are underwater when they treat Medicaid patients,' Henderson said. A new push at the Texas Capitol will infuse almost $50 million over the next two years into rural hospitals and provide new training opportunities for hospital administrators. House Bill 18, authored by State Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R – New Boston) would create the State Office of Rural Hospital Finance to assist rural hospitals gain financial stability. The bill would also require an assessment from rural hospitals that will help state officials determine which hospitals are most vulnerable and may need additional or immediate assistance. The bill received unanimous support from the House Committee on Public Health and is expected to be voted on by the full House floor on Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
East Texas state representatives give update on 89th legislative session
TYLER, Texas (KETK)- East Texas representatives give an update on bills filed by lawmakers for the 89th legislative session. East Texas representatives like State Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant) hopes to get his own bills passed with one of his top priorities being House Bill 17. This bill restricts the purchase of land in Texas from 'hostile countries' such as China, Russia and North Korea. East Texas state representative proposes bill to protect children from explicit content in public libraries 'That bill is in the homeland security and public safety committee, here in a week or two, we're going to have a day of hearings where we hear our bills that have to do with foreign adversaries,' Hefner said. Another big topic in the Texas House is water, both Hefner and State Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston) are working to keep East Texas water in the Piney woods. 'We're a growing state, but that doesn't mean they get to come take our private property so that they can keep their swimming pools full,' Hefner said. East Texas Rep. Moran appointed to House Committee on Ethics VanDeaver also has filed House Bill 18 to make sure rural Texans receive adequate medical care. The bill would provide a 'safety net' for rural hospitals, especially hospitals that are at risk of closing to try to keep them open. Representatives explain that one of the most talked about issues is House Bill 3 also known as the 'school choice' bill but as a former superintendent VanDeaver says he isn't on board with with the bill. 'I'm just convinced it's not good for my district, and it's not good for the children of Texas, so my position hasn't changed on it. I plan to vote against it,' Vandeaver said. No matter which side they are on when it comes to each bill, Hefner and Vandeaver say East Texas lawmakers are sticking together and making sure they do what is best for the people of East Texas. Texas Senate majority unveils bill requiring voters to prove their citizenship 'East Texans are united, and we're digging in for the fight to protect our resources and the private property rights of our citizens,' Hefner said. The regular session ends on June 2 with only Governor Gregg Abbott having the power to add special 30-day sessions limited to designated topics afterwards. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Rural healthcare bill considered by Texas House Committee
AUSTIN (Nexstar) – The Texas House Public Health Committee met Monday morning to discuss a bill that aims to make sure rural Texans have access to hospital and health care services. House Bill 18, known as The Rural Health Stabilization and Innovation Act, provides a comprehensive plan for ensuring that rural Texans receive adequate medical care. The committee heard from the bill's author, Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, as well as numerous stakeholders. 'Members, there are Texans who do not currently have access to hospitals and health care services that the majority of us take for granted,' VanDeaver said. 'We have the opportunity this session to change that.' VanDeaver said nine of the 13 members of the Public Health Committee come from urban areas with a total of 202 hospitals. The four representatives from rural areas make up 28 counties with only 30 hospitals in the entire area, nine of which have no hospitals at all. The lack of resources in these areas is what moved VanDeaver to file HB 18. Freddy Olivarez, CEO of the Medical Arts Hospital in Lamesa, told the committee that his rural hospital struggled to make payroll in September 2024. He said an existing grant program played a large role in allowing the hospital to maintain operations. 'We were facing looking at being the next Texas hospital closed, so that was this grant funding that Chairman VanDeaver—it's amazing for us,' Olivarez said. 'This is what's kept us open right now.' Llano County is fighting to save rural healthcare The bill's strategic initiatives include: The creation of a new State Office of Rural Hospital Finance. The office will create a strategy to ensure that hospitals have the necessary resources to support their patients, create a financial vulnerability index and provide technical assistance to these areas if necessary. The establishment the Texas Rural Hospital Officers Academy. The Academy will offer at least 100 hours of coursework annually related to technical training on matters that impact the financial stability of rural hospitals. The construction a grant program for rural hospitals composed of four grants: The Financial Stabilization Grant: to support the financial stability of hospitals at a moderate or high risk of instability based on their vulnerability index. Emergency Hardship Grant: for hospitals that have experienced a man-made or natural disaster or unforeseen circumstances that might result in facility closures or failure to meet payroll. Innovation Grant: to improve rural facilities and services for pregnant women or women who have recently given birth, individuals under the age of 20, older adults or individuals who are uninsured. Rural Hospital Support Grant: to improve the financial stability and support the long term viability of rural hospitals. Additions to the Health and Safety Code for the new Rural Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program to use telehealth services to identify and assess pediatric patients seeking mental and behavioral health needs. The bill defines a rural community of having a population of 68,750 or less, making 156 Texas counties eligible for these services. Representatives questioned stakeholders on whether the bill's current language is expansive enough to address all issues affecting rural hospitals. 'What is the problem? I think it's a good bill trying to address it, but I'm worried it's not gonna go far enough,' Rep. John Bucy, D-Austin, asked Victoria Grady, who testified as a resource witness from the Health and Human Services Commission. 'I think one of the things that's really important to note about rural communities is they don't want us in their business, and they would like to solve their own problems. And so part of the challenge is having those facilities feel comfortable and confident that they can access resources early on when they're having trouble,' Grady said. She added, 'As much as we're glad to give emergency hardship grants, we really don't want them coming to us at that point.' Rural providers, advocates create plan for Texas Legislature to 'rescue' maternity care system Grady also discussed a variety of issues that affect rural hospitals such as outdated infrastructure, inability to obtain viable equipment, uncompensated care, and complexity when submitting for reimbursement on supplemental payments. The bill was left pending as discussions with stakeholders continue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas' social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisions
A federal district court on Friday has issued more temporary blocks on provisions of a Texas law designed to restrict what kinds of materials and advertisements minors can see on social media and age verification requirements. Judge Robert Pitman enjoined several provisions of the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, also known as the SCOPE Act, calling the blocked sections 'unconstitutionally vague.' While not blocking the law in its entirety, the injunction is not the first against the SCOPE Act and goes further than previous rulings to block what the law can restrict minors from seeing on social media. The lawsuit was filed by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a first amendment activist group representing four plaintiffs, and Davis Wright Tremaine, a private media law firm. The groups have called the act overly broad and tailored to serve state interest, while state officials feel more oversight is needed to curtail the sometimes harmful effects of social media use on children. The background: Passed in the 2023 Legislature as House Bill 18, supporters of the SCOPE Act hoped the law would give parents more control over what their children are exposed to online and how minors' sensitive information is handled by social media companies. But a day before the law was set to go into effect, Pitman granted a temporary block of two sections of the law that regulated certain harmful content platforms could show to minors in a separate suit. The new injunction goes further, blocking the same two sections as well as three additional provisions: two that would restrict certain ads from being displayed or directed specifically toward minors, and one requiring age verification. Both injunctions are temporary and only apply until final judgments are issued for each case. 'The Court enjoined every substantive provision of the SCOPE Act we challenged, granting even broader relief than its first preliminary injunction,' Davis Wright Tremaine partner Adam Sieff said in a statement. Since the law's passing, Texas also has attempted to curtail content it deems as inappropriate and in violation of the act, and in October, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued social media companies over alleged violations of the law. A section of the law cited in Paxton's suit is one of the five temporarily blocked by the injunction Friday. The injunction comes as parents are becoming increasingly concerned about social media's effects on childrens' mental health, and as legislators are weighing further restrictions on the platforms. Why FIRE sued: FIRE is a nonprofit civil liberties group that helps protect free speech rights on college campuses. The four plaintiffs the group is representing in the case range from an Austin-based advertising company to a youth group designed to teach students how to engage with policymaking. FIRE argued to the court that the SCOPE Act was a content-based statute with vague determinations that did not specify enough what content could fall under categories in the law like 'grooming.' 'States can't block adults from engaging with legal speech in the name of protecting children, nor can they keep minors from ideas that the government deems unsuitable,' FIRE Chief Counsel Bob Corn-Revere said in a statement. What the state says: The Texas Tribune reached out to a spokesperson with Paxton's office for comment. Paxton has already filed to appeal the decision to the 5th Circuit Court, according to online court records. Broader impact: As state legislators meet to discuss what new restrictions could be placed on social media, further blocks on the SCOPE Act could affect what lawmakers see as viable ways of regulating platforms — both in and out of Texas. Several similar pieces of legislation looking to follow the SCOPE Act are also set to be discussed in other states' legislative sessions, including Nevada's Youth Online Safety Act and South Carolina's App Store Accountability Act.
