Stories written by Brent Annear

Legislative Video Hotline: Good News On Maternal Health, Cancer, Liability, And More - 05/10/2019

With just 17 days until sine die, the Texas House of Representatives’ deadlines yesterday and today mean death to lots of legislation, good and bad. This week’s TMA Legislative Hotline video also provides a rapid-fire summary of recent days’ movement on several TMA priority bills and news of a record for TMA grassroots advocacy.

Legislative Hotline Video: Physicians Fight For Improved Insurance Directories - 05/03/2019

Some of Texas medicine’s most familiar faces – and some new ones – lobby lawmakers to support bills beneficial to physicians and their patients in this week’s TMA Legislative News Hotline video.

Legislative Hotline Video: Don’t Penalize Physicians For Protecting Patients - 04/26/2019

This week’s TMA Legislative News Hotline video takes an in-depth look at a bill that would penalize doctors who make this difficult choice to protect their most vulnerable patients. Austin pediatrician Mai Duong, MD, tells us why the bill would be harmful.

Hotline Video: Medicine Calls For Tobacco Reforms - 04/12/2019

In this week’s TMA Legislative Hotline Video, watch physicians and lawmakers argue why a bill making its way through the Capitol could save the lives of thousands of young Texans.  

Legislative Hotline: Bill to Raise Tobacco-Purchase Age Moving Forward - 04/05/2019

Lawmakers unveiled new balance-billing legislation this week, while several physicians testified on key issues such as limiting scope-of-practice expansions, medical liability, and pharmacy benefit managers. All of this and more in this week’s TMA Legislative News Hotline video.

Legislative Hotline Video: Prior Auth Reform, GME Take Center Stage At The Capitol - 04/05/2019

Big issues bring out big voices in this week’s Texas Medical Association Legislative News Hotline video. TMA’s president, board members, and Council on Legislation members testified in Capitol committees this week, pushing for prior authorization reform and improvements to graduate medical education.

Hotline Video: Should Health Plans Have Sole Power to Set Out-Of-Network Rates? - 03/29/2019

This week’s Texas Medical Association Legislative Hotline video takes a first look at a new bill that could give health plans exclusive power to set rates they pay physicians – for out-of-network care.

Legislative Hotline Video: Physicians Push For Stronger Medical Board, Liability Protections - 03/29/2019

In this week’s Texas Medical Association Legislative News Hotline video, five TMA physicians argue why they support various bills, including extending children’s Medicaid, liability protections for physicians who respond to disasters, and strengthening the Texas Medical Board.

Hotline Video: TMA Leader Calls For More GME Funds - 03/01/2019

In the Capitol this week, Lubbock internist Cynthia Jumper, MD, urged budget-writing lawmakers to adequately fund graduate medical education so Texas won’t lose ground in physicians per capita.

Hotline Video Recap: TMA President Calls For Insurance Expansion - 02/22/2019

Texas Medical Association President Doug Curran, MD, makes an impassioned pitch for broader coverage for Texas’ millions of uninsured people in this week’s TMA Legislative News Hotline video.

Video Recap: Health Commissioners Push for More Public Health Funding - 01/29/2019

As lawmakers were beginning to look over proposed budget bills in both the House and the Senate, Texas’ most-recent health commissioners made a bid for adequate public health and prevention funding this week in a rare appearance together

Video Recap: The First Week of the 86th Texas Legislature - 01/18/2019

The first week of the 86th session of the Texas Legislature is in the books. Lawmakers in the Senate and House convened Tuesday to begin what promises to be a busy session dominated by the budget, school finance, and property taxes. Medicine has a long list of priorities for legislators as well. This week’s Texas Medical Association Legislative Hotline video features TMA Vice President of Advocacy Darren Whitehurst detailing parts of our legislative wish list, starting with the budget and better Medicaid funding.

TEXPAC Endorses Candidates for March Primary Elections - 01/17/2018

TEXPAC, the political arm of the Texas Medical Association, today announced the physician group’s endorsements for the March party primary elections.

New Funds Will Keep TMA Walk With a Doc Walkers Active, Informed, Healthier - 01/09/2018

The Texas Medical Association Foundation received a $42,625 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) that the foundation will use to help fund the 2018 Walk With a Doc (WWAD) Texas program. The goal of the BCBSTX grant is to help raise awareness about prevention and early detection of chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — diseases often prevented by an active and tobacco-free lifestyle. The Walk With a Doc Texas program supports this goal by helping physicians organize walks in their communities to encourage physical activity, reverse the consequences of a sedentary life, and improve the health and well-being of Texans.