Report Blames Two Insurers for Rise in Texas Health Rates
from The Houston Chronicle, May 21, 2009
 Texas health insurance premiums rose nearly six times faster than wages between 2000 and 2007, thanks to two companies' near-monopoly of the market, according to a new report. The report, issued by an advocacy group supporting President Barack Obama's health care reform plan, cites American Medical Association data showing Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare control 68 percent of the Texas market. The U.S. Justice Department says a share that high allows companies to raise rates and reduce options "with impunity." More
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Opinion: Booster Seat Law Would Save Lives and Grief in Texas
from The Austin American-Statesman, May 26, 2009
As the trauma medical director at two of the leading pediatric medical centers in Texas - at Dell Children's Medical Center after a stint at Children's Medical Center Dallas - the author has witnessed the devastating consequences of injuries due to the improper restraint of children in motor vehicles. More
Strange Bedfellows
from The Dallas Morning News Trail Blazers Politics Blog, May 22, 2009
The usual anti-tax activists are -- huh? -- for this tax increase. And some of the usual anti-tobacco crowd -- poobahs of organized medicine -- are reluctantly dirtying their hands by grabbing some tobacco tax money for their pet cause. The politics of the doctor loan forgiveness bill gets wilder by the hour. More
Legislature Shuts Door on Nurse Care
from The San Antonio Express-News, May 23, 2009
The word in Washington is that health care reform, not immigration or energy, is Congress' top priority this year. This means universal, or near universal, insurance coverage is likely. Insuring nearly everyone means more health care, right? Wrong. If the number of health care providers remains the same, it means less health care for everyone. If universal coverage materializes, you won't want to fall ill, especially in Texas. More
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Local Company Working to Link Electronic Medical Records
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 24, 2009
The patient was sitting in the waiting room at Dr. Tom Deas' office when he collapsed, disoriented and confused. He hadn't been in the office in years, and his medical files were out of date. Deas turned to his computer, however, and quickly found a cache of records from a recent hospital visit that indicated the man was diabetic and could be dehydrated. The patient quickly responded to treatment. "We basically went from knowing nothing to having a pretty good understanding of his problem," said Deas, a Fort Worth gastroenterologist. More
Shortage of Primary Care Doctors. So, What's the Solution?
from KLTV, May 19, 2009
There is a shortage of primary care physicians in Texas especially in rural, inner-city and under served areas. The average medical school student graduates with more than $160,000 of debt and living in small towns doesn't pay well. Dr. Christine Powell, MD, who works at Trinity Mother Frances says she's one of the lucky ones, getting out of med school only $30,000 in debt. "Once you take college you don't money," said Powell. "Medical school you don't make money. Residency you don't make money." More
The Cost Conundrum
from The New Yorker, May 27, 2009
It is spring in McAllen, Texas. The morning sun is warm. The streets are lined with palm trees and pickup trucks. McAllen is in Hidalgo County, which has the lowest household income in the country, but it’s a border town, and a thriving foreign-trade zone has kept the unemployment rate below ten per cent. McAllen calls itself the Square Dance Capital of the World. "Lonesome Dove" was set around here. McAllen has another distinction, too: it is one of the most expensive health-care markets in the country. More
Drug Deals Tie Prices to How Well Patients Do
from The New York Times
Pressed by insurance companies, some drug makers are beginning to adjust what they charge for their drugs, based on how well the medicines improve patients’ health. Two companies that jointly sell the osteoporosis drug Actonel recently agreed to reimburse the insurer Health Alliance for the costs of treating fractures suffered by patients taking that medicine. “We’re standing behind our product,” said Dan Hecht, general manager of the North American pharmaceutical business of Procter & Gamble, which sells Actonel with Sanofi-Aventis. “We’re willing to put our money where our mouth is.” More
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Negotiators Send $182.3 Billion Budget Bill to Texas Legislature
from The Dallas Morning News, May 27, 2009
Lawmakers negotiating a two-year, $182.3 billion budget said Tuesday that they've met Gov. Rick Perry more than halfway and expect a smooth ending to their often turbulent fiscal task this session. Waxahachie Republican Rep. Jim Pitts said it includes $8 million for genetics research at UT Southwestern Medical Center; $6 million for research on middle-school students' brains at the University of Texas at Dallas; $5 million for a "values in medicine" center at UTD; and $20 million for big-city homeless shelters, a priority of Mayor Tom Leppert. More
Top Priority of Cornyn: Reduce Health Care Costs
from The Tyler Morning Telegraph, May 27, 2009
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, during a statewide health care outreach tour, stopped in Tyler on Tuesday to meet with health care professionals who volunteer with the Bethesda Health Clinic. The faith-based clinic provides affordable health care for working, uninsured adults of Smith County through volunteers and staff. During the meeting Cornyn said reducing health care costs should be a top priority, and spending more taxpayer dollars isn't necessary for health reform. More
AT&T, Other Firms Test 'Telehealth' Devices to Help Monitor Patients From Afar
from The Dallas Morning News, May 26, 2009
Long-term treatments for diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic killers work only if patients care for themselves properly. That’s why doctors, hospitals, and high-tech companies such as Dallas-based AT&T are so excited about a new generation of devices that let medical professionals track patient progress. More
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