Texas Doctors Say Insurers' Paperwork Hurts Care
from The Dallas Morning News, Feb. 4, 2009, via KHOU
 The Texas Medical Association said Wednesday that a survey of doctors found that health insurers and government bureaucracy are hurting their ability to care for patients. The survey of 850 Texas doctors underscores core problems with the health care system: Doctors are struggling to get paid and insurers are wrestling to keep costs under control. The area's largest insurers responded that while they've been working to reduce the clerical burden, some of the doctors' administrative responsibilities cannot be avoided. More
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Obama Signs Children’s Health Insurance Bill
from The New York Times, Feb. 4, 2009
The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it that afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans. More
Study: Texas Obesity Rate Will Triple Without Prevention
from The Longview News-Journal, Jan. 30, 2009
Texas, now home to 5 million obese people, will have 15 million in three decades if it doesn't take drastic action, according to a study released Thursday. And Dallas County, already the major metropolitan county with the highest adult obesity rate in the state, will bear a huge burden of medical costs and lost worker productivity, the study indicated. State demographer Karl Eschbach, the study's author, predicts that by 2040, 46 percent of Dallas County adults will be obese if no big prevention push is mounted. Eschbach expressed alarm that statewide, more than one-fifth of young adults ages 18 to 25 were obese in 2007, up from 10 percent in 2000. More
Letter: Smoking Ban in Public Places Will Save Lives
from The San Angelo Standard-Times, Feb. 3, 2009
In this letter to the editor, TMA President Dr. Josie R. Williams shares his views on the public health ramifications of the smoking ban bill being introduced into the Texas Legislature. More
Physicians Flock to Capitol to Protect 2003 Tort Reform
from News 8 Austin, Feb. 4, 2009
There are now more emergency room doctors in the state of Texas than ever before, according to a group of physicians at the Texas Capitol Tuesday. Physicians credited the increase on a tort reform bill passed in 2003. The bill limited the amount of money a person could sue for in the event of malpractice. More
Nominee Slip Hurts Health Care Drive
from The New York Times, Feb. 3, 2009
Mr. Daschle’s decision to withdraw his candidacy for secretary of health and human services could slow the president’s drive to reshape the nation’s health care system as the White House searches for a replacement, and it could allow Congress to step into the vacuum during that delay, analysts said. Since Mr. Daschle was the only person the president seriously considered for the health job, his advisers were left scrambling to find an alternative. More
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Medicare-Payment Fix Weighed
from The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 29, 2009
As leaders in Congress and the Obama administration look to expand health-insurance coverage while controlling costs, they are considering changing the way doctors are paid for treating patients covered by Medicare. Critics of the current system, in which most doctors are paid for each procedure they perform, say it creates a financial incentive for unnecessary treatments. Alternatives such as paying a fixed annual rate for each patient have been criticized for giving providers an incentive to withhold potentially helpful treatments. More
Houston Hospitals Sound Alarm Over Crowded ERs
from KTRK-TV Houston, Feb. 2, 2009
With the cutbacks at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, emergency rooms in other areas of town have been swamped with people in need. Some people interviewed say they had to wait up to five hours before seeing a physician. Emergency room doctors say more help is needed. More
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Doctors Check Up On Capitol
from The Austin American Statesman, Feb. 4, 2009
 First Tuesdays, organized by the Texas Medical Association, offers physicians an opportunity to inform legislators about issues affecting the practice of medicine in Texas, such as health care reform and insurance changes. In this video brief, doctors get some face time with representatives. More
Why Health Care Pools Haven’t Worked
from CNNMoney, Jan. 28, 2009
One of the keys to the various health reform plans kicking around Washington is "pooling." The proposal floated by President Obama during the campaign, for instance, would establish a National Health Insurance Exchange designed to help small businesses and individuals reduce their premiums. Pooling is a great idea in theory. But historically, it hasn't succeeded at significantly expanding affordable coverage. The premise is simple: Set up a system to allow individuals and small employers to band together to join group plans that they would otherwise not have access to. These "pooled" plans can then negotiate with insurers and cut the same preferential deals that major corporations are able to. By pulling thousands of people together, the pools mimic the economics of scale that let large companies negotiate lower costs from insurers for their employees' coverage. More
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