Stories with related Professional Interests

TMA Monitoring Approximately 2,800 Bills, Testifies for Patient Protections - 03/24/2025

Bolstered by testimony from dedicated physicians across the state, the Texas Medical Association took to both houses of the Texas Legislature to protect patient safety, as well as promote fair data use and healthier social media practices for youth.

First Tuesdays at the Capitol Lets Legislators Hear What Matters Most to Medicine - 03/19/2025

Since 2003, TMA member physicians, medical students, and TMA Alliance members have told their stories to legislators via First Tuesdays at the Capitol. Advocates for medicine have two more opportunities this session to share their views.

‘This Day Is Huge’: Medicine Doubles Down on Health Care Access Advocacy on First Tuesday - 03/06/2025

TMA’s signature advocacy event, founded by the TMA Alliance, continues to connect physicians, medical students, and the alliance with lawmakers to shepherd the association’s legislative priorities to fruition.

TMA Testifies to Block AI Use in Prior Auth, Support Health of Young and Aging Texans - 03/05/2025

Physicians made the rounds in the Texas Senate, providing testimony to prohibit unfair prior authorization practices, launch a new dementia care institute, and keep the growing populations of kids and seniors healthy.

TMA Welcomes State Budget Provisions for Medicine, Healthy Living Legislation - 02/27/2025

TMA physicians weighed in on the state budget, applauding appropriations supporting medicine and urging additional funding, and advocating for a Texas Senate bill aiming to make Texans healthier.

Scope Bills, Budget Gains Mark Start of 2025 Legislative Session - 02/10/2025

Capping off a robust week of advocacy, TMA is now targeting a pair of scope of practice infringement bills, as well as tracking other measures to advance prior authorization reform and boost funding for the state’s medical education, public health, and safety net programs.

Physicians Rally Around TMA Legislative Priorities at Inaugural Virtual Event - 01/15/2025

With the curtain rising on the 2025 legislative session rising Jan. 14, TMA leaders detailed to attendees how its top 10 legislative priorities tie into physicians’ needs across the state, and how to help advocate at the Capitol on medicine’s most pressing issues in similar upcoming TMA events.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Guarding Against Scope of Practice Expansion - 01/06/2025

TMA is working to grow the physician workforce and preserve physician-led health care in Texas.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Striking the Right Balance on Noncompete Agreements - 01/06/2025

TMA endorses a noncompete agreement policy protecting both employee and employer physicians.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Protect Medicine from Corporate Influence - 01/06/2025

TMA continues its work to keep nonmedical entities and corporate influences from interfering with physicians.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Seeking Prior Authorization Reform - 01/06/2025

In 2025, TMA will advocate for improvements to a landmark prior authorization bill and address burdensome Medicaid practices.

Six Ways to Get Involved in TMA Advocacy - 01/03/2025

There are many ways Texas Medical Association members can get involved with advocacy. We highlight six avenues for members to help.

I Never Knew TMA: Did So Much Legislative Work - 12/16/2024

The Texas Medical Association's legislative agenda protects the patient-physician relationship from interference.

Record State Budget Opens Door for Health Care Investment - 12/05/2024

The 88th Texas Legislature kicked off earlier this month, and the Texas Medical Association is already tracking nearly 700 bills, including promising proposals to reduce prior authorization requirements and concerning ones regarding scope expansion.

On Guard for the Patient-Physician Relationship: 2023 Legislative Preview - 12/05/2024

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.

Senate Committee Tackles Scope of Practice in Access-to-Care Hearing - 11/18/2024

In a hearing packed with representatives from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, behavioral health, licensing boards, and academia, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee tackled Texas’ health care workforce shortages with the Texas Medical Association delivering its message loud and clear: Expanding scope of practice is not the answer to helping patients in rural and underserved areas.

TMA Leadership Encourages Legislative Relationships to Protect Medicine - 11/18/2024

To best serve medicine’s agenda in the upcoming Texas legislative session, the Texas Medical Association urges members to make and capitalize on relationships with their local representatives, as leadership previewed the likely tumultuous session ahead at the close of TMA’s Business of Medicine Conference last week.

Legislature Examines Children’s Mental Health Ahead of 2025 Session - 11/18/2024

Texas lawmakers have made great strides in their ongoing investment in mental health services and support for children and their families, and that must continue if Texas is to improve such access to care and reduce the risk of behavioral health crises.

Abbott Signals Support for Opioid Crisis Interventions - 11/18/2024

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently listed the fentanyl crisis as one of seven “emergency” items this session, clearing a path toward passage of Texas Medical Association-backed legislation that aims to curb opioid-related deaths.

Protect Patients From Inadequate, Narrow Networks - 11/18/2024

In an out-of-network surprise billing situation, the patient and the insurer have a contractual agreement. The physician and insurer do not. As a result, when we remove the patient from the claims settlement process, the insurer has little market accountability unless additional statutory protections are created.

Evening Out the Scale: TMA Gears Up for Another Legislative Battle Over Surprise Bills - 11/18/2024

TMA gears up for another legislative battle over surprise bills.

TMA Leery of Proposed Balance Billing Law - 11/18/2024

The Texas Medical Association is deeply skeptical of a state senator’s freshly filed effort to prevent physicians from balance billing patients for the services they provide. On Thursday, Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) filed Senate Bill 1264, a measure to address surprise out-of-network medical bills. The legislation emerged with no input from the House of Medicine

Closing the Gap: New Texas Network Adequacy Law Tackles Waivers - 11/18/2024

Although Texas has some of the strongest network adequacy rules in the country, poor enforcement and an overused waiver system have weakened physician practice viability and patients’ access to in-network care; thanks to advocacy by the Texas Medical Association, this will soon change.

State Law Banning Refusal of Care to Certain Unvaccinated Patients Takes Effect - 11/18/2024

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: Scope Creep/GME Funding - 11/18/2024

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.