| House Debates CHIP Reform
(April 3, 2007)--More Texas children of the working poor would have access to the state's low-cost health insurance program under a measure the House debated Tuesday. The proposal would dismantle several changes that the Legislature made in 2003, when the state faced a $10 billion budget shortfall and cut spending on state services like the Children's Health Insurance Program. The proposal by Rep. Sylvester Turner, R-Houston, would let parents re-enroll in the CHIP plan every year instead of every six months. The proposal also would eliminate a 90-day waiting period unless the child had recently been covered in another insurance plan. Conservatives have voiced concern with the 12-month enrollment period in Turner's bill. They say making families re-enroll twice a year ensures only eligible children receive the benefits.
Pennsylvania, Other States Lead Efforts To Expand Health Insurance ...
Recent legislation introduced by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D), which includes loosening regulations against nonphysician health care professionals is an "example of states stepping into a void created by a lack of federal action on health care reform," the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. Rendell's "Prescription for Pennsylvania" legislation would allow nonphysician health care professionals to provide basic health care with the aim of lowering state health care costs. Nonphysicians would be legally allowed to perform doctors' basic duties, such as taking medical histories and performing physicals. Dental hygienists would be allowed to practice without supervision from a dentist in certain situations, such as at schools or clinics, and midwives would be allowed to prescribe drugs. In addition, the legislation allows nonphysicians to be designated as primary care physicians for insurance purposes and requires insurance companies to include nonphysicians in all health care provider networks.
Going beyond money, benefits
When 5,300 Houston janitors went on strike last fall, they were seeking a raise to $8.50 an hour, paid family health insurance and full-time work. But city of Houston employees, who'll begin contract negotiations today, haven't been as focused on pay and benefits. The Houston Organization of Public Employees, which represents 13,000 employees at City Hall, are looking for a better performance evaluation system and a chance to offer ideas on how to improve city services, according to union officials. "I think voice is more important than more money," said Damon Russell, a truck driver in the public works department and a member of the new 38-employee negotiating team. Employees want respect at work and to feel a sense of pride for doing a good job for their fellow Houstonians, said Russell, who was recently promoted and now earns $9.42 an hour.
House Approves Children's Insurance Bill
The Texas House passed a bill Tuesday that would revoke changes made to the Children's Health Insurance Program in 2003, when thousands of children lost their coverage. The bill will go to the Senate. Currently, a family qualifies based on gross income and must reapply for coverage every six months. After applying, a child must wait 90 days before getting enrolled. "The income we're talking about is maximum right around $40,000 for a family of four," said Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston. "What this bill will do is pick up an additional 100,000 kids and put them back on the roll." Lawmakers want to change CHIP to the way it was before 2003, when a family only had to reapply every 12 months. There would be no waiting period for children, and eligibility was based on net income, which is how much the family earned minus child care and work-related expenses.
Texas Physicians and Hospitals Join State Legislators to Ensure ...
AUSTIN, Texas, April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 400 Texas physicians, medical students, and hospital leaders rallied state legislators today to pass legislation that would provide health insurance to thousands of Texas children. Physician and hospital leaders from across the state joined state Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston); House Bill 109 author, John Davis (R-Houston); Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin); and Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) to encourage their colleagues to pass HB 109. The bill would restore 12 months of continuous coverage for kids in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), establish a more realistic asset test for working families, and remove the 90-day waiting period for uninsured children. Health care leaders believe restoring the cuts made to CHIP in 2003 is a critical and important first step in reducing the number of uninsured children.
House OKs end to limits on CHIP
AUSTIN -- Thousands more El Paso children could get health insurance under a bill the Texas House tentatively approved Tuesday. "Texas is the state that has the highest percentage of uninsured kids in the country," said state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, author of the bill. "This is a step today that could reverse that." The bill, which passed 126-16, would reduce restrictions on Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment and allow more than 100,000 additional Texas children in the program, according to a legislative analysis. It would undo some changes legislators -- trying to save money because of a nearly $10 billion shortfall -- made to CHIP in 2003. "It doesn't reinstate all the children, but a good portion," said state Rep. Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, a bill sponsor.
HISD Workers Upset About Health Care Costs, Bonuses
HOUSTON -- Many Houston Independent School District workers are upset that some employees are getting thousands of dollars in bonuses while others cannot afford their health insurance, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday. List Of HISD's Performance Pay Bonuses One man has cleaned Sharpstown Middle School for the past 18 years. He said the increasing costs for health insurance are too much for him to handle. .
House approves measure intended to insure more children
More children of the working poor in Texas would have access to the state's low-cost health insurance program under a measure tentatively approved in the House on Tuesday. The proposal would dismantle several changes that the Legislature made in 2003, when the state faced a $10 billion budget shortfall and cut spending on state services like the Children's Health Insurance Program. The House approved the measure by a 126-16 vote. The proposal is expected to get final approval in the House Wednesday. It next moves to the Senate, where observers believe it will have a tougher time emerging intact. The proposal by Rep. Sylvester Turner, R-Houston, would let parents re-enroll in the program every year instead of every six months. The measure also would eliminate the 90-day waiting period unless the child had recently been covered in another insurance plan.
Texas Children Must Have Health Care Coverage
Nearly 400 Texas physicians, medical students, and hospital leaders rallied state legislators today to pass legislation that would provide health insurance to thousands of Texas children.Physician and hospital leaders from across the state joined state Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston); House Bill 109 author, John Davis (R-Houston); Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin); and Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) to encourage their colleagues to pass HB 109. The bill would restore 12 months of continuous coverage for kids in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), establish a more realistic asset test for working families, and remove the 90-day waiting period for uninsured children.Health care leaders believe restoring the cuts made to CHIP in 2003 is a critical and important first step in reducing the number of uninsured children.
High-Deductible Health Plans Cost More for Women, Study Finds
Women are more likely to pay more than men for health care when enrolled in high-deductible health plans -- which have low premiums and in some cases include health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. For the study, Harvard Medical School researchers led by Steffie Woolhandler examined data from the 2003 federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which included responses from almost 33,000 U.S. residents. Based on 2006 dollars, the study found that the median cost for men younger than age 45 enrolled in high-deductible health plans was less than $500, compared with more than $1,200 for women. The study also found that one-third of men younger than age 45 with health insurance had more than $1,050 in annual medical costs, compared with 55% of women.
Measure intended to insure more Texas children
AUSTIN More children of the working poor would have access to low-cost health insurance under a plan tentatively approved today in the Texas House. Final approve could come tomorrow, then the bill would move to the Senate. The measure would dismantle several changes made by the 2003 Legislature, when Texas faced a budget shortfall and cut spending on the Children's Health Insurance Program. The bill by Representative Sylvester Turner of Houston would let parents re-enroll in CHIP every year -- instead of every six months. The measure also would eliminate the 90-day waiting period unless the child had recently been covered in another insurance plan. Backers say allowing for 12-month eligibility periods would save the state money by treating them before they end up in costly emergency rooms and county hospitals.
Clinic is on a mission to improve Latino health
It was a modest beginning for the tiny clinic that opened in Denver Harbor, a primarily working-class Hispanic neighborhood hugging the East Freeway north of the Houston Ship Channel: A single nurse practitioner served a handful of clients, six hours a week, in a church. Eight years later and with the help of The Methodist Hospital, the Denver Harbor Clinic has expanded its staff to three physicians and 17 medical residents, serving 9,000 patients. And to the delight of weary, nearby residents, its new, 5,600-square-foot facility displaced a notorious cantina in the neighborhood. The clinic is planning yet another expansion to meet surging demand. But the nonprofit clinic's biggest challenge may be to come. It stands on the front line of one of the most pressing battles in modern health care, the rise of obesity and diabetes, both of which occur more commonly in Hispanics than Anglos.
Transgender opera singer settles into new identity
When a roommate introduced the works of black classical vocalists and composers, "I fell in love with the voice," Tona says. The eventual discovery of her own true voice, she says, helped her accept who she really was. At college, she started going to class in high-heeled boots, earrings and hair that was big and long. "I was just naturally me," says Tona, who now routinely changes her hairstyle, from curly to straight to braids. She was still known as Thomas then, but out in public she was increasingly being greeted by strangers with "ma'am" or "miss." Cashing paychecks became a problem because name and gender didn't seem to match. On nights out dancing at hip-hop clubs near Shenandoah, friends began calling Thomas "Tenacity." That's a name he used in online chat rooms and a nickname friends used until he legally adopted Tona a few years later.
Canadian-educated physicians need to practice in Canada, not the US
Health is a unity and harmony within the mind, body and spirit which is unique to each person, and is as defined by that person. The level of wellness or health is, in part, determined by the ability to deal with and defend against stress. Health is determined by physiological, psychological, socio-cultural, spiritual, and developmental stage variables. .
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