Tag Archives: Medicare

On to the next big financial issue for the city

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always something. Four years ago, the main source of Houston’s deteriorating financial health — billions of dollars in unfunded pension obligations — loomed over the race for mayor, promising a massive test for the winner. Now, Mayor Sylvester Turner, … Continue reading →

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Another national publication looks at CD07

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mother Jones, come on down. In addition to [Laura] Moser, the top competitors for the March primary are first-time candidates with stories that fit the political moment in different ways. Lizzie Fletcher, a well-connected lawyer at a large downtown firm, … Continue reading →

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What do our elected officials think about the plan to kill off Medicare?

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when this was a major campaign issue? With all the other things we’ve discussed so far today, I wanted to return to one critical one. It’s not about mights or maybes or fears of what’s to come. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

No Medicaid expansion for you!

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. Texas will not expand Medicaid or establish a health insurance exchange, two major tenets of the federal health reform that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld last month, Gov. Rick Perry said in an early morning announcement. … Continue reading →

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What radicals?

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I was reading this Patricia Kilday Hart column about how nobody outside Texas paid attention to the sonogram bill until the Virginia brouhaha and the Doonesbury series, which is a good albeit frustrating read, when I came across this bit … Continue reading →

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Tort “reform” is still a scam

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. A national report released Wednesday says the 2003 Texas law that limited damage awards in malpractice suits has caused health care spending to rise and has not significantly increased the number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Feds may prevent some cuts to Planned Parenthood

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, at least potentially. Stephanie Goodman of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission confirms that the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent a bulletin advising state officials that federal rules do not permit states to ban … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From the “Get your government out of my Medicare” files

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be fun. Across the nation, U.S. House Republicans are getting an earful from their constituents about a GOP budget proposal to overhaul Medicare, the federal health care program that insures the elderly. The Republican plan, written by … Continue reading →

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Hospital infections

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s something missing from this story. Do you know what it is? The most common hospital-contracted malady among older patients in Houston is systemic vascular infections, a problem often caused by unsanitary or improper procedures during their hospital stay, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Harris County pleads its case to the state

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits ran into some Harris County officials in Austin the other day and got some information from them about their lobbying efforts with the Lege. Not too surprisingly, it’s mostly focused on mental health services. Harris Couty is primarily worried … Continue reading →

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New flash: Dropping Medicaid would be bad

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t take my word for it, take the Texas Department of Health and Human Services’ word for it. Opting out of federal Medicaid, something Republican leaders have been considering as a method to wipe out Texas’ estimated $25 billion budget … Continue reading →

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We can learn from Indiana’s example

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Indiana decided a couple of years ago that it was paying too much for Medicaid, so they created to create a program called Healthy Indiana that provided vouchers for low income people to use to purchase private … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments