Latest news with #HousePublicHealthCommittee
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital bollard bill, sparked by KXAN, gets House hearing
This story is part of KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital's emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening. AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill that would require crash-rated safety bollards at most Texas hospitals, sparked by a deadly crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center last year and a series of KXAN investigations, is set to be heard Monday morning by the House Public Health Committee. For months, the proposal to mandate the vertical security barriers had placed a wedge between the state's nurses, which back the bill, and the lobbyist arm representing the hospitals paying them. 'The safety of nurses and hospital staff should be the highest priority of any healthcare organization,' the Texas Nurses Association previously told KXAN. 'Any and all protection should be considered to ensure our healthcare providers can come to work with confidence that they are protected and working in a safe environment.' While the bill has attracted bipartisan support, it has also found fierce opposition from the Texas Hospital Association — which called Senate Bill 660 a 'one-size-fits-all' mandate and an 'unreasonable administrative cost burden.' READ: Senate Bill 660 requires crash-tested bollards at most Texas hospitals 'Vehicle-into-building crashes are undeniably tragic, but we've yet to see any national studies or scientific evidence that show prevention of these incidents is a pressing, critical need for hospital safety,' THA CEO John Hawkins previously wrote. Since the bill already cleared the Senate, it would need to advance out of the House Public Health Committee and go to a full floor vote before it could be sent to the governor. If that happens, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission would have until Dec. 1 to adopt rules laying out how it would work. With the exception of rural areas, hospitals would have to comply as of Jan. 1, 2026. KXAN reached out to St. David's for comment but did not immediately hear back. We previously asked Ascension, Ally Medical, Baylor Scott & White, and Texas Children's Hospital if they supported the bollard bill. All attended a stakeholder meeting to give input on Austin's bollard ordinance last September. So far, none have responded. EXPLORE: KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigations led to legislative results KXAN began investigating hospital crashes — what cause them, how often they occur and how they can be prevented — following a deadly crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Feb. 13, 2024. We learned there was no local, state or federal requirement for critical infrastructures, like hospitals, to have bollards. Using crash data from the Texas Department of Transportation, the nonprofit Storefront Safety Council, along with police, fire and media reports, we created our database revealing more than 400 crashes at or into medical-related sites across the country over the past decade resulting in more than 20 deaths — data KXAN shared with lawmakers and testified about in front of a Senate panel in March. Those statistics were cited by Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who authored the bollard bill after a family injured in the Austin emergency room crash spoke out publicly to KXAN. 'We re-emphasize to the Bernard family: What happened to you is a tragedy and it shouldn't happen again in the state of Texas,' West told KXAN last October. 'And, I'm going to do everything I can in my power to make sure it doesn't happen again.' READ: St. David's statement on opposition to Austin's bollard ordinance The Texas Medical Association, which represents 60,000 physicians and medical students, has not taken a position on the bill but previously said what KXAN uncovered was a 'major problem' and, recently, presented us with an award for our coverage. 'If we can even save one life, and we can make sure it's safer for not only the people that are going to the hospitals, like our patients, but also all employees, I think it's a good thing to be doing,' TMA President Dr. Ray Callas previously said. The bill's latest hearing comes nearly six months after the Austin City Council unanimously passed its own bollard measure — also sparked by our investigations — requiring crash-tested bollards at new hospitals, urgent care clinics and stand alone emergency rooms. After the vote, public records KXAN obtained revealed St. David's, while publicly neutral, privately opposed the measure. Their lobbyist, records show, tried to quash it over St. David's objections that it, in part, 'selectively targets healthcare facilities based on an incident at one of our hospitals.' St. David's said it spent $500,000 last year installing additional bollards before the council's vote. It has repeatedly refused to say whether those barriers are crash-rated — something the ordinance requires of new medical facilities. Former Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly initiated that ordinance. She is expected to testify again in front of the House committee. In March, she told a Senate panel: 'This is not a partisan issue. This is a life-safety issue.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill that would make vaccine exemptions easier advances in the Texas House
A Republican-backed bill that could make vaccination exemptions easier to obtain in Texas made it out of the House Public Health Committee on Thursday in a 7-6 vote along party lines. If House Bill 1586, authored by state Rep. Lacey Hull, R-Houston, is approved by both chambers of the Legislature, the state's current exemption form would be downloadable as a pdf, bypassing the need to contact the Texas Department of State Health Services directly and having a form sent to an applicant's home address. 'This bill is about government efficiency,' Hull said on Monday when she laid out the details before the committee. Several health professionals testified against the bill, citing the state's current measles outbreak in West Texas as evidence that falling vaccination rates put the entire state at greater risk for infections and disease. Data shows a consistent rise in interest in obtaining exemptions to vaccines since 2003, when then-state Sen. Craig Estes offered a measure that allowed Texans to claim a conscientious exemption in addition to established exemptions based on medical and religious reasons. Since 2018, the requests to the Texas state health agency for an exemption form have doubled from 45,900 to more than 93,000 in 2024. All requests for exemptions are granted. 'The passage of HB 1586 … marks a major milestone for Texans, signaling that more legislators have begun to recognize that vaccine choice rights are inherent and not given by the government,' said Rebecca Hardy, president of Texans for Vaccine Choice, which supported the bill. Jackie Schlegel, executive director of Texans For Medical Freedom also praised the bill's passage. 'Texans are taking their freedom back from the government,' she said. Vaccination proponents expressed frustration of the committee's passage of the bill. 'Once again the legislature is ignoring the will of their constituents,' said Terri Burke, executive director of The Immunization Partnership, a nonprofit group that advocates for vaccination access and education. More people testified against this bill in committee than testified for it and 72 percent of the written comments opposed it. So who are these people representing?' 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. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
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
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas has a dentist shortage. Joining a compact with other states would help
State lawmakers are addressing a number of challenges facing Texans and the state economy, including many that don't get the media coverage they deserve, such as the worsening dental care crisis. Simply put, Texas does not have enough dentists and hygienists to meet current needs, let alone rising demand driven by population growth. Fortunately, the Legislature is considering a bipartisan solution that could bring swift relief: joining the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (DDHC). Two companion bills filed in the Texas Legislature — Senate Bill 1109 and HB 1803 — would make Texas a member of this compact, enabling licensed dental professionals from other member states to practice in Texas without burdensome delays or redundant licensing hurdles. On March 31, the House Public Health Committee held a hearing on HB 1803, allowing Texans to hear firsthand about the compact's benefits. Across the country, this commonsense reform is gaining momentum. States from Arkansas to Virginia have already joined the DDHC, reflecting a bipartisan consensus that mobility and access matter. Texas nearly did the same last session: A bill for Texas to join the DDHC failed by one vote in the House, and didn't reach a vote in the Senate. The case for compact membership is strong. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, less than 29% of Texas' oral health needs are currently being met. More than 2 million Texans live in one of the state's 261 designated dental shortage areas, where delays in care can result in long-term health consequences. Enabling licensed professionals from other states to quickly enter the Texas workforce would increase the supply of care, particularly in underserved communities. This could lower patient costs, improve outcomes and ease the strain on current providers. It would also benefit job-seekers — particularly experienced hygienists and dentists — who want to relocate to Texas without having to navigate bureaucratic obstacles. The Texas economy continues to roar thanks to the state's pro-growth policies, no income tax and commitment to free enterprise. But even the strongest economies face constraints. Population growth outpacing service expansion can quickly create friction — especially in health care. If those constraints aren't addressed through smart reforms, the consequences will multiply: longer wait times, higher costs and missed opportunities to deliver essential care. This is where the DDHC fits. It represents a targeted response to a real problem, offering near-term gains in provider availability while maintaining professional standards. But the broader conversation should not stop there. Should Texas lawmakers enact HB 1803, it would mark a decisive step in the right direction. Still, the ultimate goal should be to remove government-imposed barriers to entry into dental care altogether. Whether trained here or elsewhere, qualified providers should be free to serve Texans without unnecessary red tape. This aligns with a broader principle: that markets, when left to function, produce abundance, not scarcity. Milton Friedman famously argued that many licensing regimes are less about protecting the public than about protecting existing providers. Research confirms this: Occupational licensing inflates wages, restricts supply and increases costs without consistently improving service quality. In dental care, this means fewer options and higher prices for families who can least afford it. The DDHC offers a meaningful reform. It doesn't fix everything but brings us closer to a system where competition, not regulation, drives outcomes. By considering this policy, Texas lawmakers can reaffirm their commitment to healthcare access, workforce mobility and economic freedom. In the end, it's not just about dentists. It's about restoring the basic right to work — and to receive care — without the government getting in the way. Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform, an organization based in Washington, D.C. Vance Ginn, who lives in Round Rock, is a staff economist at Americans for Tax Reform and previously served as chief economist in the first Trump White House's Office of Management and Budget. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Less red tape, more smiles: Texas should join dental compact | Opinion
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.
