Stories with related Professional Interests

State Law Banning Refusal of Care to Certain Unvaccinated Patients Takes Effect - 08/30/2023

Starting Sept. 1, a new state law prohibits clinicians caring for patients enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to refuse health care services based on their vaccination status.

Patient Care Protected: Women's Reproductive Health - 08/14/2023

One of the Texas Medical Association's top legislative priorities this session was to get clarity for physicians on how they can safely treat pregnant women while protecting the patient-physician relationship.

Patient Care Protected: Scope Creep/GME Funding - 08/07/2023

The Texas Medical Association's top legislative priority this session was to protect independent diagnosing and prescribing as the practice of medicine and to address current workforce shortages in a way that ensures patients have access to the same standard of care, regardless of where they live.

'All You Need to Do Is RSVP': Alliance Leader Opens Invitation to Medical Advocacy - 08/04/2023

TMA Alliance leader Jenny Shepherd’s open invitation to medical advocacy is an award-winning approach

Patient Care Protected: Medicaid Payment Increase - 08/04/2023

One of the Texas Medical Association's top legislative priorities this session was to help physicians grow their Medicaid panels and access to care with healthier payment rates.

Patient Care Protected: E-Cigarette Regulation and Taxation - 08/04/2023

State lawmakers gave tobacco-control advocates – among them Texas physicians – a big victory by allocating a nearly $4.3 million increase for nicotine cessation and prevention efforts.

Patient Care Protected: Network Adequacy, Surprise Billing - 08/04/2023

Spurred by physician reports of insurers taking advantage of their leverage in contract negotiations, the Texas Medical Association prioritized network adequacy reform this session.

Patient Care Protected: Vaccines, ImmTrac2 Modernization - 08/04/2023

Texas physicians started this year’s legislative session with a simple strategy on vaccines: defend existing protections and push for a long-overdue technological upgrade to ImmTrac2, the state’s vaccination registry.

Patient Care Protected: Prior Authorization Reforms - 08/04/2023

Carrying the torch from last session, the Texas Medical Association followed up on its 2021 gold-card success with a new prior authorization reform for vulnerable patients and other insurance-related policy wins this session.

Patient Care Protected: Physician Autonomy/Corporate Practice Protections - 08/04/2023

Despite an onslaught of attempts by state government and corporate entities to undermine the patient-physician relationship, the Texas Medical Association successfully prevented any new measures criminalizing patient care this legislative session

Patient Care Protected: Medical Liability Reforms - 08/04/2023

For the 20th year in a row, the Texas Medical Association successfully defended the state's medical liability reforms, in keeping with its legislative priorities for the most recent session.

Patient Care Protected: Medicaid Coverage for Women and Children - 08/04/2023

The Texas Medical Association achieved a key legislative objective this session with the passage of House Bill 12 by Rep. Toni Rose (D-Dallas), which extends Medicaid postpartum coverage from two months to one year.

Patient Care Protected: TMA Secured Big Legislative Wins With a New Strategy - 08/04/2023

Guided by a set of priorities and girded by grassroots physician advocacy, the Texas Medical Association entered the 2023 legislative session with a laser focused approach and came out hitting targets in every area of medicine’s agenda.

Legislative Hotline March 4, 2021: TMA Opposes End-of-Life Care Bill That Poses Threat to “Do No Harm” - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Association is once again working to stop legislative attacks on a physician’s sacred creed to “do no harm,” which includes taking care of patients in their last days.

Legislative Hotline Feb. 11, 2021: TMA, Lawmakers Seek to Strengthen State Immunization Registry - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Association, the Texas Hospital Association, and several state lawmakers stand behind legislation that would fix technological issues with the state’s registry, ImmTrac2, and make entry of a patient’s vaccination data the default.

Legislative Hotline Feb. 8, 2021: Why Get Involved in TMA Advocacy? “No Better Thing to Do” - 07/17/2023

"It’s vital, it’s important, it’s meaningful." TMA encourages physicians to become involved in advocating for medicine's key issues this legislative session.

Legislative Hotline, Feb. 26: Invest in Coverage Expansion, Medicaid Improvements, TMA Tells Senators - 07/17/2023

With nearly one-fifth of all Texans lacking health care coverage, the Texas Medical Association is urging the  Senate Finance Committee to provide comprehensive, meaningful coverage for the state.

Physicians Will Lead Legislature’s Controlled Substances Committee - 07/17/2023

When a special joint committee of the Texas Legislature tackles issues with controlled substances this year, physician-lawmakers will take the lead.

Hotline Jan. 21, 2021: Physicians to Have Strong Voice in Texas Senate - 07/17/2023

When Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick released the Texas Senate’s committee assignments last week, the Texas Medical Association was pleased to see extensive committee roles carved out for the chamber’s three physician-legislators.

Physician-Led Results: Medicaid Rate Increase - 06/28/2023

Texas physicians aimed to win a focused Medicaid rate increase in this year’s Texas legislative session, one designed to improve coverage for children and young mothers. For the first time in more than a decade, they got it.

Physician-Led Results: Women’s Reproductive Health - 06/28/2023

Physicians entered the 2023 legislative session with heavy concerns over and difficulties in interpreting Texas' abortion statutes when caring for pregnant women in crisis. A last-minute bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott now provides some legal defenses under Texas' abortion ban when treating certain potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications.

Physician-Led Results: Network Adequacy and Protecting Texas’ Surprise-Billing Law - 06/22/2023

Physicians’ ongoing struggles with health plan contracting galvanized TMA to champion network adequacy reform at the Texas Capitol. The regular session wrapped up with the unanimous passage of House Bill 3359, which cements the state’s network adequacy rules and strengthens insurers’ accountability under them.

On Guard for the Patient-Physician Relationship: 2023 Legislative Preview - 06/21/2023

A pandemic wind-down, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, a possible recession, a national surprise-billing law. The 2023 Texas legislative session is one shaping up to be defined by a host of federal forces, some of them potentially contentious. Nevertheless, the House of Medicine stands steadfast in its legislative priorities. At the heart of the Texas Medical Association’s agenda for this session: protecting the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship, whether from criminalization, interference from insurers and other nonmedical entities, or public health threats.

Physician-Led Results: Insurance - 06/21/2023

TMA can count several insurance-related legislative wins this session, including an additional prior authorization reform for vulnerable patients and new protections against bad health plan practices for patients and physicians alike.

Physician-Led Results: E-Cigarette Regulation - 06/20/2023

Texas’ new budget includes a big funding increase for tobacco cessation and prevention efforts. While a tax on e-cigarettes did not survive this session, lawmakers approved a crackdown on e-cigarette marketing to minors.