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Legislators Can Request Health Insurance Mandate Analysis Via New State Law - 11/18/2025

Though the filed version of the bill would have heavily favored insurance companies, TMA successfully worked to add data transparency provisions to promote a comprehensive and unbiased analysis. Lawmakers also focused on price transparency bills affecting how facilities can bill patients for services.

Key Issues - 11/13/2025

At the heart of TMA's agenda for the 2025 Texas legislative session is protecting the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship.

'The Canary in the Coal Mine': Wastewater Testing Advances Improve Readiness for Outbreaks - 11/13/2025

Houston is home to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Wastewater Surveillance System of Excellence.

The Essence of Outreach: TMA Health Beat Broadens Its Audience to Advocate More Effectively - 11/13/2025

Louise Bethea, MD, sometimes encounters resistance in persuading her patients with asthma to adhere to their daily medication regimen. It’s a problem she attributes, in part, to low health care literacy.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Inside the Capitol – Lessons from the 89th Legislative Session - 11/13/2025

TMA Council on Legislation Chair Zeke Silva, MD, offers an inside look at what it was like to operate at the Capitol behind the scenes and on the stage during this year’s session.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Erosions to Medical Liability Reforms Fail - 11/13/2025

Medicine’s work this session to preserve Texas’ landmark medical liability reforms started and ended like legislative sessions past with a perennial attempt to index the landmark 2003 noneconomic damages cap to inflation. But that story had a twist this session in that the vehicle to do so, House Bill 4036, was pushed by a pair of Republicans alongside its typical Democrat contingency.  

Contaminant Containment: Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Takes Physician Awareness - 11/13/2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates each year some 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, more than 127,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.

Obesity Rate Continues to Hike Among Adult Texans - 11/10/2025

Recent findings show the share of adults with obesity is still climbing, maintaining a 20-year upward trend in the state. Texas officials and the legislature work to combat the issue through state programs and new legislation.

Direct Payment Model Available to All Texas Physicians Under New State Law - 11/10/2025

House Bill 541, now in effect, replaces the “direct primary care” nomenclature from a TMA-backed 2015 law with the more inclusive “direct patient care.” In a typical direct care model, patients pay a monthly fee, and in return, receive services like office visits and in-office procedures without involving insurance.

$3 Billion Dementia Research Investment Up for Vote in November - 11/05/2025

Alzheimer’s disease, which comprises 60-80% of dementia cases, is rising in Texas and becoming a public health crisis, per state officials. TMA supports a new research institute aiming to change that.

New TMA Guide Urges Screening for Colon Cancer - 10/30/2025

Younger adults are seeing an “alarming” increase in colon cancer cases, so the Texas Medical Association (TMA) urges people to ask their physician about colorectal screening.

Hemp Sales See Age Requirement of 21 with More Rules to Come - 10/29/2025

Physicians say medicine must continue to stay at the table and advocate for safe regulation and enforcement, with the new age requirement of 21 only part of the solution. The state is studying and drafting rules for permanent consideration.

Ivermectin Can Now Be Dispensed in Texas Without Physician Prescription - 10/28/2025

TMA testified patient safety is at risk when physician oversight is removed from prescription medication dispensation. Concerns included determining proper dosages and potential interactions with other drugs.

Adverse Event Reporting Law Targets Emergency Use, Experimental Vaccines - 10/17/2025

A new state law effective Sept. 1 requires physicians to report serious adverse events for patients who receive emergency use-authorized (EUA) vaccines, but the recent termination of certain authorizations may narrow the bill’s impact going forward.

TMA Grants to Help Your Practice Improve Local Vaccination Rates - 10/16/2025

Apply for a grant. Vaccines Defend What Matters (formerly Be Wise – Immunize) is TMA’s integrated, multimedia public health education and advocacy effort to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates in Texas. 

New Law Requires Texas Physicians to Disclose AI, Provide Guardians EHR Access - 10/07/2025

The bill also requires physicians to maintain EHRs only within the U.S. Physicians can face disciplinary action, including civil penalties and license suspension or revocation by the Texas Medical Board if found to have violated the law three or more times.

Opioid-like Exposures from Kratom Derivative on the Rise - 10/06/2025

The Texas Department of State Health Services warns physicians and patients of the harms of 7-OH, a chemical derivative of kratom, which at high concentrations can cause rapid heart rate, seizures, and respiratory depression. TMA previously testified on kratom’s risks to the public.

New Colorectal Education Resources Equip Patients and Physicians - 10/06/2025

Signs and symptoms, risk factors, and screening guidelines for colorectal cancer can be found in TMA’s new one-pagers, a patient-facing resource and a handout for physicians. Reluctance to discuss symptoms can impede timely diagnosis.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Defeats Concerning Vaccine Bills For Second Session in a Row - 10/02/2025

Two bills that did survive will took effect Sept. 1, one of which imposes a specific informed consent form on physicians.

Texas Expands Newborn Screening Panel to Include Four Lysosomal Diseases - 10/01/2025

The addition of four rare genetic conditions to the state’s battery of blood tests for infants brings the total of screened conditions to 59. Each newborn is assessed twice to identify infants who may have one or more of the dozens of conditions.

Misinformation Increasingly Complicates Care, Physicians Foundation Survey Finds - 09/22/2025

Most physicians feel equipped to identify and correct misinformation in conversations with patients, but a significant portion doubt patients’ ability to access accurate health information online.

New Law Allows Health Plans to Steer Patients Via Incentives, Changes Ranking and Tiering Protections - 09/16/2025

Senate Bill 926, which took effect Sept. 1, authorizes certain health plans to steer patients toward certain physicians or health care entities via cost-sharing incentives. TMA advocacy secured provisions that help protect against deceitful steering and help physicians monitor and guard against errors.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Amid Bad Insurance Bills Defeated, Gold Card Law Refinements Close Gaps - 09/12/2025

House Bill 3812 addresses some of the shortfalls and inconsistencies among payers in the intended implementation of Texas’ landmark prior authorization exemption law. The law took effect Sept. 1 but additional rulemaking by the Texas Department of Insurance is likely.    

Legislature Boosts Nutrition, Physical Activity in Texas Schools, Adds Physician CME Requirement - 09/12/2025

Senate Bills 25 and 379, which took effect Sept. 1, guarantee physical activity and recess for grade school children and ban sugar-sweetened drinks and candy from SNAP, respectively. Meanwhile, TMA is monitoring medical school and CME requirements still in development.

Talk to Patients About: Vaccines During Pregnancy - 09/11/2025

Protecting moms and babies from certain diseases often starts with pregnant women. Child-bearing women may not realize they pass on disease-fighting antibodies to their babies, protecting them early in life. That protection improves greatly when women get certain vaccines before and during pregnancy. They also may not realize getting vaccinated right after pregnancy can stop the spread of illnesses.