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June 16, 2022
Value of Coverage: Mental Health
People with health insurance have better access to care, and importantly that includes mental health care. Two recent studies show that people with insurance not only have better access to mental health services, but they are overwhelmingly satisfied with the services they receive.
June 13, 2022
Medicaid Monday: Managed Care Means Innovation
In Texas, the 1115 Medicaid Transformation Waiver allows the state to expand managed care, which allows for innovations not permitted in traditional fee-for-service Medicaid. Since the inception of managed care, ensuring high-quality care for members has been the work of managed care organizations. Here are some ways Texas managed care health plans go beyond the walls of a doctor’s office to increase community access to services, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, and improve the quality of members’ lives.
June 7, 2022
Now is the time for Texas to look for ways to reduce Big Pharma’s big prices
At $15.3 billion annually, Texans spend more on prescription drugs than any other state in the country. Big Pharma continues to raise prices, making lots of prescription drugs unaffordable. During the COVID pandemic alone, Big Pharma raised prices on 832 drugs. Patients are taking to Twitter to express outrage and shock at the rising price of the sometimes life-saving medicine they need.
May 26, 2022
The No Surprises Act is Working, Texas Can Learn from the New Law
Today it was announced that since the No Surprises Act went into effect at the beginning of the year, Americans haveavoided more than 2 million surprise bills. The law protects patients from most surprise medical bills and removes them from the middle of negotiations between providers and insurers when it comes to disputes on what should be paid. That’s the good news.
May 23, 2022
Medicaid Monday: Managed Care Reduces ER Visits
The use of emergency rooms for primary care services is decreasing, thanks to Medicaid managed care. A recent report by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) shows a 15.5% decrease in the number of potentially preventable emergency room visits in Texas Medicaid and CHIP programs. This is great news for both Medicaid members and taxpayers. Utilizing preventative and standard care before conditions become emergencies leads to better health outcomes and to less costly care.
May 17, 2022
Price Transparency Helps Patients
Can driving just a few miles save a patient thousands of dollars? If they’re in the market for health care, the answer is yes. In Dallas, according to a recent article in D Magazine, the cost of a gallbladder removal surgery can range from $5,000 to $35,000. And rarely are prices posted online—even though they’re supposed to be.
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Articles written by TAHP’s team of policy experts that examine the research, trends, and impact of the most important health care policy issues facing Texas and the country today.
Weekly news clips assembled by the TAHP team that highlight the top headlines from the health insurance and health care worlds, as well as important political updates.