Texas Insight provides timely reporting of healthcare issues and events as they occur within the legislative and regulatory branches of Texas state government.
HHSC: Medical Care Advisory Committee. The Committee gathered to discuss Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program activities and review and discuss action items including but not limited to:
- Long term care regulatory certification principle re-write
 - HCS/Texas Home Living (TxHmL) respite and day habilitation reimbursement
 - EVV
 - Claims payment deadlines exceptions
 
HHSC: Aging Texas Well Advisory Committee. The Committee gathered to hear a presentation on a special topic: “Dementia Aware”; hear updates on Committee operations; and take public comment. Read the report.
August 18, 2020
- This meeting will be webcast: STAR+PLUS Pilot Program Workgroup Agenda
 
August 19, 2020
- This meeting will be webcast: Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (TXCVDS) Agenda
 
August 20, 2020
- Texas Brain Injury Advisory Council Legislative and Policy Committee (TBIAC LPC) Agenda
 - This meeting will be webcast: Health and Human Services Commission Executive Council (HHSC EC) Agenda
 
August 21, 2020
- This meeting will be webcast: Texas State Child Fatality Review Team Committee (SCRFT) Agenda
 
Texas
- Texas officials blame coding errors and a system update for recent COVID-19 testing data issues
 - Survey: More than 80 percent of Texas House members support temperature checks at Capitol, 82 percent favor mask requirement at the building
 - The crushing isolation of nursing homes during the pandemic
 - Sen. Seliger tests positive for COVID-19
 - Gov. Greg Abbott says coronavirus hospitalizations, positive cases must decrease before he’ll allow bars to reopen in Texas
 - Austin virus rules extended to December
 - Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is investigating its high proportion of coronavirus tests coming back positive
 - Pregnancy during the pandemic: Heres one way coronavirus could affect fetal development
 - Cause for concern: Remote option sought for COVID-19 investigators
 
U.S.
- Is Herd Immunity Ahead of Schedule?
 - The Hill interview: NIH chief addresses concerns about speed of COVID-19 vaccine development
 - Pandemic Electric Bills Are Searing Hot, As Families Stay Home
 - Novavax coronavirus vaccine candidate begins phase two trials
 - Covid-19 Live Updates: School Plans Vary Globally but Outbreaks Are Still Feared
 - ‘She Was So Sick’: From COVID-19 Diagnosis To A Double Lung Transplant
 - With Biden, advocates sense momentum for lifting abortion funding ban
 - Melinda Gates On Covid-19: It’s Time to Demand More of All Our Leaders
 - Less Than A Week After Starting Classes, UNC-Chapel Hill Reports 4 COVID-19 Clusters
 - FDA approves saliva-based coronavirus test
 - Scientists See Signs of Lasting Immunity to Covid-19, Even After Mild Infections
 - Can Air Conditioners Spread COVID-19?
 - Battle looms over Biden health care plan if Democrats win big
 - Health care industry launches new ads against public option for convention
 - Fearing a ‘Twindemic,’ Health Experts Push Urgently for Flu Shots
 - The Science Is Simple, So Why Is Opening Schools So Complicated?
 - Two senior CDC officials leave agency
 - Firm Collecting Virus Data Refuses to Answer Senators’ Questions
 - U.S. COVID-19 deaths rise; cases drop for fourth week in a row
 - CDC backtracks guidance on three-month window of immunity
 - Senators Criticize Guantánamo Prison Coronavirus Plan
 - One in three Americans say they won’t get coronavirus vaccine: poll
 - Hispanics, non-white workers highly affected by U.S. COVID-19 outbreaks, says CDC
 - FDA creates first-ever medical supply shortage list including masks, swabs and ventilators
 - SAG-AFTRA Members Complain of Changes in Health Insurance
 - New York Governor Cuomo says gyms can open as soon as August 24 with restrictions
 - CDC: Children and teens are eating more fast food
 - Obesity Raises the Risk of Death From Covid-19 Among Men
 - Report: US exploring possibility of controversial ‘challenge trial’ for COVID-19 vaccine