On September 1, the first phase of the consolidation of the Texas Health and Human Services system became operational. SB 200, the Health and Human Services Commission sunset bill passed last legislative session called for transferring the Department of Assistive and … Read More
As HHS submits its Legislative Appropriations Requests for the next biennium, we are proud to share them with the people of Texas, whom we serve. The HHS system’s budget proposals reflect better integrated operations, a commitment to serving Texans in … Read More
Jessica Stefonik is grinning. She’s got a bounce in her step. Her cheeks are a little puffy and her speech is a bit thick.”It feels weird right now, but I’ll get used to it,” she says.What she’s trying to get … Read More
Millions of Americans endure pain and shame because they can’t afford dental care. The issue is particularly pronounced in rural areas, as emphasized by a recent report by National Public Radio. People in rural areas are not only more likely … Read More
The chairman of the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee and other high-ranking Republicans on Tuesday expressed little interest in expanding publicly funded insurance coverage to low-income Texans, suggesting the issue is unlikely to gain traction when the state … Read More
A key domestic policy directive presidential aspirant Donald Trump made to Congress as a way to reform the healthcare system is to “block-grant Medicaid to the states.”The health insurance program for poor Americans, which is funded by a matching formula of state … Read More
Hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth region were overpaid by $27 million in federal funds to provide health care for the uninsured, according to a new order from the Obama administration, which is threatening to take the money back. Federal health … Read More
At a Managed Medicaid Town Hall meeting in May, state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, heard numerous concerns about Medicaid reimbursement (payment) schedules and the large losses that McAllen area hospitals are experiencing when these institutions care for Medicaid patients. … Read More
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump strongly praised Rick Perry when asked at an Austin fundraiser on Tuesday about the possibility of the former governor challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in a Republican primary. “I’ve been hearing a lot about that … Read More
The latest quarterly report issued by IG last week reminds Medicaid providers that CMS has a deadline of September 25 for re-enrollment of all Medicaid providers (deadline originally March). All providers who enrolled prior to January 1, 2013, must … Read More
The weekend can’t come fast enough for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. On Wednesday, federal officials asked the state’s largest agency to return $57,884,268, the federal share of $95,359,841 in supplemental payments to doctors made improperly from 2004 to … Read More
In his recent quarterly report, Health and Human Services Commission Inspector General Stuart Bowen announced the kickoff off his initiative to increase awareness and cooperation on fraud, waste and abuse between Medicaid stakeholders. The IG Integrity Initiative (IGII) is described as … Read More
This week the Health and Human Services Commission Inspector General released his June 2016 quarterly report on the activities of his agency. Besides announcing the creation of a Pediatric Dentistry Action Team, the report also discloses that more Medicaid dentists … Read More
One of the main items of interest to Medicaid dentists from the latest quarterly report from the Health and Human Services Commission Inspector General Stuart Bowen is that a “Pediatric Dentistry Action Team” has been created within his agency. The … Read More
If you remember the heyday of HHSC/TMHP/Xerox program spending on orthodontia back in 2011 that begat allegations of Medicaid fraud, it was at a sky-high $249 million. In 2015, it was $13.6 million. So it is little wonder that the number … Read More
In case you might be wondering how much Texas now spends on dental care for Medicaid children, we now have an answer for you. TDMR filed an open record request earlier this year to get the spending figures for 2014 and … Read More
Over the past two weeks, it has been a major story that Attorney General Ken Paxton took a $100,000 donation for his personal legal fees from a friend whose company was accused of Medicaid fraud. The company just settled the … Read More
reported this morning on a new contracting scandal involving current Medicaid claims administrator Accenture and the Office of Attorney General. Outrage of use of “emergency leave” for fired staff You might remember back in May, the OAG was found to … Read More
Back in July 2013, TDMR surveyed Medicaid dentists about their opinions and problems with Medicaid at that time. 139 providers answered up and “provider rights” was the most popular response for the challenges Medicaid providers were facing then. Things have … Read More
Texas delegation sponsors also got convention guest passes and access to the “morning briefing receptions with members of Texas’ congressional delegation, statewide elected officials and legislators.” The sponsors are Toyota, Charter Communications, MCNA Dental, GM, AT&T, Expedia, Phillips 66, IBC … Read More
Many Americans lack access to basic, affordable oral health care. Tooth decay is the most preventable unmet health need in the United States, yet one-quarter of children have tooth decay before they enter kindergarten and one-third of adults report having … Read More
Dr. Juan D. Villarreal of Harlingen Family Dentistry and founder of Texas Dentists for Medicaid Reform has completed the writing of a book about his personal experience with Texas Medicaid and its attempt to falsely accuse Texas dentists of healthcare … Read More
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday delivered a temporary, last-minute victory to families of children with disabilities who want to stop sweeping budget cuts to a state-funded children’s therapy program. State lawmakers last year approved $350 million in budget cuts … Read More
In a last-ditch effort to stave off $350 million in cuts to a state Medicaid program that provides therapy to disabled children, federal and state lawmakers are asking the federal government to intervene.Families that have sued the state to stop … Read More
HHSC’s Inspector General is enlisting the help of managed care organizations and health care providers to fight Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse in a cooperative effort. The office’s Integrity Initiative creates a framework for managed care organizations, health care providers … Read More
Heather Griffith Peterson and Kara Crawford have joined the HHS executive leadership team. They both began June 1. “We are putting together a strong leadership team that will continue to move the Texas Health and Human Services system forward,” Health … Read More
Back on May 19, Sen. Chuy Hinojosa and Rep. Richard Peña Raymond hosted a town hall meeting for providers on Medicaid managed care in Edinburg at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. It has taken a while but here are … Read More
On Thursday, June 23, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission held its mandated public hearings on state agencies under review this legislative session. Four hours of testimony Over the 12 hours of testimony were given before the Commission on that date … Read More
Recently, TDMR filed an open records request with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to find out how many individual Texas dentists are currently participating in Medicaid and how those participation numbers have changed since the Frew settlement in … Read More
Although they are more likely to graduate from high school and less likely to abuse drugs compared with prior years, children are worse off in Texas than their peers in all but seven states, a study says. According to its … Read More
Like many parents of children with autism, Braulio De La Cruz sought an expensive therapy called applied behavioral analysis — or ABA – when his son Noah Leonardo was diagnosed last year. Noah, now 3 years old, qualifies for Medicaid … Read More
AUSTIN – Gary Jessee will lead the newly created Medical and Social Services division of the Health and Human Services system, HHS Executive Commissioner Charles Smith announced today. Jessee, who is currently the state Medicaid director, will become deputy executive … Read More
McAllen dentist Dr. Jose “Joey” Cazares has been elected by members of the Texas Dental Association’s House of Delegates to be the 2016-2017 President-Elect of the Association, and will automatically ascend to the Presidency in 2017-2018. Dr. Cazares will be … Read More
“Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver made television history when he paid off nearly $15 million of debt from Texas on last night’s show. For 20 minutes, Oliver focused on the systems behind debt collecting and the corruption surrounding them. The episode explained … Read More
AUSTIN — The Texas Medicaid program, under pressure from lawmakers, is again proposing significant cuts in pay for therapists who treat more than a quarter-million disabled children and elderly Texans. On Friday, the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice … Read More
Americans who live in the two biggest states that haven’t expanded Medicaid have more complaints about health care costs and quality, according to a new survey released by the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute in Houston. They’d also like … Read More
Bolstered by the federal health care law, the number of lower-income kids getting health coverage continues to rise. During 2014, the first full year of the law’s implementation, 91 percent of children who were eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s … Read More
Charles Smith, a longtime ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, will be the next executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the governor announced Tuesday. Smith, the chief deputy executive commissioner at the massive agency, will start his … Read More
The Obama administration has agreed to temporarily keep some federal Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients, a relief to health care providers that feared losing the funds over state leaders’ refusal to provide health insurance … Read More
For three months, Courissa Hall essentially lived in a Houston rehabilitation hospital providing care for her 4-year-old daughter, who suffered brain damage during a routine appointment at a local dental clinic that specialized in treating Medicaid patients. She’s still processing … Read More
