Senate Committee Passes Increased Smoking Age
from The Dallas Morning News, March 31, 2009
 Though they are legally considered adults and can serve in the military, 18-year-old Texans would be considered minors when it comes to smoking under a bill passed unanimously through a Senate committee Tuesday. The measure would increase the legal age for buying tobacco products to 19, and would cut off an estimated $12.5 million in tax revenue for the state over the next two years. The Texas Medical Association, pediatric and cancer groups and the national Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids are supporting the measure. More
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Patients' Right to Know
from KFDA TV Amarillo , March 26, 2009
On March 26, KFDA TV of Amarillo ran a news report covering TMA's "Patients' Right to Know" campaign, which said in part, "Your health insurance policy may soon be easier for you to use. The Texas Medical Association has joined up with state lawmakers to sponsor new legislation called "Patients' Right To Know." TMA says patients often do not understand their insurance information and answers are not always easy to find. Several bills are in the works that would ensure patients have the right to accurate information on co-pays, deductibles and health plan networks." For more information on the Right to Know initiative, visit the press release at the TMA site.
Clear the Air
from The Houston Chronicle, March 30, 2009
Texans can’t breathe easy yet — at least, not as easily as we do in Houston. Among the bills stuck in the state Legislature’s committee limbo are a pair that would make the rest of the state as smoke-free as our city. House Bill 5 (sponsored by Myra Crownover, R-Denton) and Senate Bill 544 (by Rodney Ellis, D-Houston) would change the state’s patchwork of smoking laws into a single clear ban: No smoking in indoor work and public places, including restaurants and bars. More
Doctors Push for Clean Slate on Medicare Reimbursement Rates
from The Wall Street Journal Health Blog, March 30, 2009
Every year or so, we hear that some big Medicare pay cuts for doctors are on the way. Almost every time, Congress swoops in at the last minute to block the cuts. Leaders of the AMA and other big doctor groups have been in Congress lately asking for a change to the underlying system that keeps creating these near misses. At issue is the “Sustainable Growth Rate,” a formula Congress created in 1997 to try to keep payments from spiraling out of control. More
Stem Cell Research Hits Snag in Texas
from The Houston Chronicle, March 31, 2009
Texas researchers who thought President Barack Obama’s executive order lifting the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research would finally free them to ramp up work with the cutting-edge science are facing a new obstacle: the state Legislature. Eighteen of the state’s leading scientists signed a letter sent to the Legislature Monday objecting to a provision inserted in the Senate budget bill last week that would ban state funding from supporting research involving the destruction of human embryos. More
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Administration Issues New Rules for Private Medicare Plans
from The Associated Press via The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, March 31, 2009
The Obama administration on Monday raised the bar for Medicare private insurance plans seeking to win the government's seal of approval. The administration announced new curbs on the health plans, popular with seniors, yet also criticized for marketing abuses and high costs to the government. The plans, offered by major insurers such as United Healthcare and Humana, flourished under Republicans but are seen by Democrats as undermining the traditional program. More
Health Insurers Pull a Fast One in Proposed Reform
from The Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2009
It might have looked as if real progress toward healthcare reform was made last week when leading insurers proposed ending their long-standing practice of charging higher rates to sick people and denying coverage to those with chronic conditions. But not so fast. A closer look at the insurance industry's plan reveals a potentially huge loophole that could short-circuit genuine reform. More
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HSC Center for Telemedicine Awaits $6.2 Million in Funding
from The Daily Toreador, March 30, 2009
The Texas Tech Center for Telemedicine is awaiting notification in April of a $6.2 million state-funded contract to create pediatric Medicaid telemedicine opportunities in 30 rural West Texas sites during the next two years. The proposed contract would result partly from Texas House Bill 15, according to the Health and Human Services Web site, and a 1993 class action lawsuit filed against the state of Texas. More
Lost Job? No Insurance? Get Free Health Care at Walgreens
from The Chicago Sun-Times, April 1, 2009
Anyone who lost his or her job Tuesday or who becomes jobless this year and has no health insurance can get free health services at Walgreen Co.'s in-store clinics. Excluded from the offer are vaccinations, physicals and infusion treatments. More
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