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TMA-Backed Bills Would Increase Access to Women’s Reproductive, Early Childhood Health Care - 03/24/2023

Twelve month postpartum coverage and a boost to certain Medicaid payments top a list of measures Texas lawmakers are moving on that would bolster women’s health care services, in line with the Texas Medical Association’s priorities for

Stop Maternal Deaths: Texas Report Reinforces TMA Legislative Priorities - 03/10/2023

The latest biennial survey of maternal death and illness shows why the Texas Medical Association made improving maternal health one of its top priorities for the current state legislative session.

Counting on Women’s Health: Texas Takes Steps to Fix Maternal Mortality Data - 11/23/2022

There is a lot of confusion about how cases of maternal death and illness are counted in Texas, and the work of unraveling that confusion falls on the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee.

Ten Years Later: TMA Advocacy Nets Investments in Women’s Health - 07/27/2022

A decade ago, the Texas Legislature made a funding decision that devasted low-income women’s access to health care and the physicians and community clinics that care for them. After 10 years, with the help of TMA advocacy and the formation of the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition, funding for family planning and overall women’s health is in significantly better shape.

TMA Statement Regarding Roe V. Wade Opinion - 06/24/2022

Statement by Texas Medical Association (TMA) President Gary W. Floyd, MD, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding Roe v. Wade.

Texas No. 1 in Congenital Syphilis Cases: How All Docs Can Help - 05/11/2022

With Texas leading the nation in the number of congenital syphilis cases, a Texas Medical Association collaboration on new resources aims to help all physicians understand the growing public health threat and tackle it head on through improved diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Private Health Plans Must Cover Women’s Obesity Counseling, Other Preventive Services - 04/05/2022

Starting next year, private health plan policies that began after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect now will have to cover multiple types of prevention counseling for women, as well as contraceptive care, double electric breast pumps, and more.

CDC: Physicians Should “Strongly Recommend” COVID Vaccine for Pregnant People - 10/05/2021

In light of a low COVID-19 vaccination rate among people who are pregnant, and a recent high in COVID-19-related deaths among that population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking health care professionals to “strongly recommend” the vaccine to people who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 2 - 07/27/2021

When it comes to health care, women have specific medical needs that require special attention, from family planning to pre- and post-menopausal care. However, a significant number of Texas women do not have health insurance to access those necessary medical services.

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 1 - 07/20/2021

More than 6 million women of reproductive age live in Texas, and 25% of them are uninsured. Health programs that aim to support and improve the health of Texas women are of the utmost importance. However, many Texas women are unaware of the free and low-cost medical services available statewide.

Physician-Led Results: Big Steps Forward in Medicaid, Maternal Health - 06/23/2021

One of the Texas Medical Association’s biggest wins this session came in the partial realization of medicine’s longtime advocacy to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum maternal care.

As Scope Defenses Continue, TMA Opposes Treatment Expansion for Midwives - 05/04/2021

Throughout the 2021 session, troublesome bills to expand nonphysicians’ scope of practice have collectively been a sleeping monster – kept dormant by the House of Medicine’s dogged advocacy efforts, but in constant need of monitoring should the beast awaken.

TMA Asks Budget Hagglers for Robust Women’s Health Funding, Task Force on Coverage Expansion - 05/03/2021

The state budget is now in the hands of the conference committee charged with blending the House and Senate versions of what 2022-23 spending should look like. In a detailed letter this weekend to conferees, the Texas Medical Association laid out the investments lawmakers need to make in the health of their state.

Support Maternal Health Coverage for Texas Women - 01/30/2021

Becoming a new mother is a time of celebration and joy. Yet for many Texas women the journey to motherhood can be perilous and potentially deadly. According to new data from the state’s panel of maternal health experts, too many women die during pregnancy or in the year following, though 9 in 10 of these deaths were potentially preventable.

Federal Funding for Women’s Health Services in Texas Restored - 01/24/2020

Texas will again receive matching federal funds for women’s health services through a Medicaid 1115 waiver Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, Texas will receive about $350 million from Washington over the next five years to cover the vast majority of costs for its Healthy Texas Women program.

More Funds for Medicaid, Women’s Health Needed, TMA Tells HHSC - 12/02/2019

Bolstering Medicaid and enhancing women’s health services are once again on the Texas Medical Association’s agenda as it makes recommendations to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) for the agency’s 2022-23 budget requests.

Prevention of Opioid Abuse Through Education - 10/15/2019

HB 405 was written to require collaborative efforts and involve many stakeholders who are involved in the health and well-being of mothers and infants across our state. This is the best way to ensure that as many women as possible hear about NAS and its harmful outcomes. Creating more awareness of what causes NAS and potential impacts of the condition will only help our state become a better place for all mothers and babies. HB 405 would help bring needed attention and resources to help educate our state on NAS.

Improving Birth Outcomes by Designating Facility Levels of Care - 05/07/2019

The neonatal and maternal designation standards are new. It takes time – and patience — to find the right balance. As the state and stakeholders navigate the process, we urge lawmakers to stay focused on the original purpose of establishing neonatal and maternal levels of care in the first place – to provide a statewide system that promotes safe, high-quality, medically appropriate care to improve birth outcomes for mothers and babies.

Allow Pregnant Moms to Take Their Kids to Medical Appointments - 04/30/2019

Prenatal and postpartum care are vital to the health and well-being of mothers and babies, yet transportation is a barrier for many of our most “at-risk” patients and their babies. This barrier leads to missed appointments, which is associated with increased medical costs for patients, disruption of patient care and patient-physician relationships, delayed care, and increased emergency room visits. HB 25 is an attempt to address this problem by creating a pilot program that would streamline nonemergent medical transportation services in Medicaid.

Maintain Level of Care Standards for Neonatal and Maternal Hospitals - 03/08/2019

The neonatal and maternal designation standards are new. It takes time – and patience – to find the right balance. As the state and stakeholders navigate the process, we urge lawmakers to stay focused on the original purpose of establishing neonatal and maternal levels of care in the first place – to provide a statewide system that promotes safe, high-quality, medically appropriate care to improve birth outcomes for mothers and babies.

Protect the Reproductive Health of Texas’ Young Women - 03/06/2019

We know a variety of socioeconomic and health risks are associated with unplanned pregnancies of our young patients. With parental consent, reducing barriers to contraception – including long-acting reversible contraceptives – helps guarantee fewer unplanned pregnancies and associated health risks and fewer abortions, and more education and greater economic opportunities for our patients.

Maternal Illness and Deaths, Coverage Expansion Top Saturday’s TMA Conference - 02/07/2019

How to protect women from severe illness and death surrounding childbirth; ensuring Texans are vaccinated against diseases; covering low-income Texans with insurance so they can access care; top medical issues in the legislature; ethical considerations of “do not resuscitate” (DNR) law; and the state’s changing demographics and how to care for Texas of the future. Doctors will address these pressing issues and more during the 2019 Texas Medical Association (TMA) Winter Conference, in Austin.

Improve Maternal Health by Expanding Access to Care - 02/07/2019

Maternal deaths are only one part of the story. For every one maternal death, 50 to 100 women suffer a severe illness or complication.

Health Care Leaders Host First-Ever Joint Summit on Texas Medicaid - 01/09/2019

As the future of Texas Medicaid promises to be a central topic of discussion in the 86th Texas Legislature, leaders from three pillars of the Texas health care system gathered in Austin on Oct. 12 for a first-ever summit to identify and commit to working on shared priorities for strengthening the program.

Doctors, Insurers, Hospitals Meet to Set Priorities for Strengthening Medicaid Managed Care - 10/24/2018

Womens Health