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Texas has the highest uninsured rate of children, adults, and women in the country. Reform Austin is committed to providing in-depth reporting to illuminate the critical issues and challenges Texans are facing in healthcare.
Texas is one of 14 states that refuses to expand Medicaid coverage. Almost 10 years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Texas still ranks last when it comes to affordability and access.
Additionally, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act could cost 1.73 million people healthcare coverage. Texas is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Texas still ranks among the worst for maternal mortality and low overall for women’s health. One in four Texas women are uninsured. Currently, women can obtain maternity Medicaid coverage until 2 months after childbirth. Advocates have argued that the coverage length is insufficient, and to address the maternal mortality crisis, coverage should be expanded to one year. Though Medicaid expansion would have made the biggest stride in improving women’s health, the policy did not get beyond a committee hearing or House floor vote in the 86th Legislative Session.
Approximately 875,000 Texas children do not have health insurance. From 2016 to 2018, the percentage of uninsured children rose from 10.7 percent to 11.2 percent. In Texas, once a child is approved for Medicaid they are covered for six months. After the six-month period, the state requires parents to file income updates monthly to continue the coverage. If the state determines there is a problem, parents are given 10 days to respond with necessary paperwork. This has led to many children being removed from the Medicaid roles, despite still qualifying for the program.
Reform Austin covers access to healthcare, healthcare quality, mental health, public health programs, and vaccinations. We report on laws the Texas Legislature passes and the effects they have on the healthcare system, as well as the laws that fail. In addition, we report on lawmakers involved to ensure our elected leaders are working for the public good.

Maternal Sepsis More Than Triple After Texas Abortion Ban

The fallout from Texas’s near-total ban on abortion continues as rates of maternal sepsis soar. Those rates have more than tripled since 2021. Maternal sepsis...

Paxton, Texas Right To Life Recruit Men To Inform On Pregnant Partners For Seeking...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the state’s largest anti-reproductive choice organization, Texas Right to Life, are teaming up to further restrict abortion access....

Texas Lawmakers’ Crusade Against Planned Parenthood Claims Another Target

A senior official at the Texas Medical Board resigned following intense pressure from far-right state lawmakers.As the year came to a close, State Reps....

Gender-Affirming Care For Adolescents Extremely Rare, Says Harvard Study

Only 0.1 percent of American adolescents receive gender-affirming care, says a new study from Harvard. The study was published in the Journal of the American...

Fatal Newborn Abandonments Skyrocket In Texas Following Abortion Ban

Since the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the establishment of a near-total abortion ban in Texas, at least 18 newborns were abandoned by...

Crockett Slams Texas For Ignoring Pregnancy Deaths After Abortion Ban 

Texas announced it will not investigate pregnancy-related deaths for 2022 and 2023, skipping the years immediately following the state’s near-total abortion ban. U.S. Rep. Jasmine...

Federal Judge Keeps DACA Recipients From Receiving Health Coverage

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor blocked a Biden Administration rule that would have allowed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients...

Texas Skips Key Years In Maternal Mortality Review Amid Criticism

Texas has announced that it will not investigate pregnancy-related deaths for 2022 and 2023, skipping the years immediately following the state’s near-total abortion ban.According...

Texas Hospitals Caught In Crossfire After Doctor Challenges Abbott’s Order 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned hospitals that failing to comply with his executive order regarding Medicaid patient intake forms could jeopardize their funding.The controversy...

“Sen. Cruz, What About My Daughter’s Tragic Life Was ‘Reasonable?’”

One of the hardest things about Samantha Casiano’s daughter’s death was the gifts. Friends, family, and well-wishers saw only a pregnant woman, not someone...
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