Team Effort in the House to Overhaul Health Care
from The New York Times, March 17, 2009
Three powerful House committee chairmen have agreed to work together on legislation to overhaul the health care system, starting with the view that most employers should help finance coverage and that the government should offer a public health insurance plan as an alternative to private insurance. The unified approach contrasts with the competition and rivalry among committee chairmen that helped sink President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health insurance 15 years ago. More

Trial Lawyers Plan Tort Reform Fight
from Politico, March 16, 2009
Doctors and trial lawyers, who’ve sparred for years over medical malpractice suits, have been notably silent as President Barack Obama goes ahead with his plan to overhaul health care. Now it looks like the politically volatile issue won’t remain quiet for long. Trial lawyers are preparing for a fight. The American Medical Association says curbing the lawsuits is an absolute must. And if the two groups decide to fight it out, it could complicate Obama's plan to pass a bill this year. More

Texas Lawmaker Focuses on Health Programs for State’s Needy
from The Fort Worth Star Telegram, March 17, 2009
Texas spends $21 billion annually on health programs for the needy and disabled, and state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, wants to make sure the money is used efficiently and improves patient care. She’s proposed a plan that would reward healthcare providers for positive outcomes while taking taxpayers off the hook for paying for hospitals’ deadly, preventable mistakes. More

AMA Honors Perry for Tort Reform Efforts
from The Southeast Texas Record, March 11, 2009
For his leadership in reforming Texas' tort system, the American Medical Association honored Gov. Rick Perry with its Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service. Gov. Perry was nominated for the Dr. Nathan Davis Award award by the Texas Medical Association, which is a member of the AMA federation. More

UTMB Students Push for More Funding
from Click2Houston, March 17, 2009
Dozens of University of Texas Medical Branch students went to Austin Tuesday to push state legislators for more funding, KPRC Local 2 reported. The school and hospital sustained millions of dollars in damage during Hurricane Ike. "We want legislators to know that we want to keep it here on the Island," student Mike Leasure said. "We are depending on the legislature now to pull through on funding." More

Teens Would Need Doctor’s Note to Visit Tanning Salons Under Proposed Bill
from The Austin American-Statesman, March 17, 2009
Texans under 18 would not be allowed to use tanning beds unless they have a doctor’s permission and a parent present, under a bill a House panel that’s being considered today. “This is like big tobacco,” the bill’s author, state Rep. Burt Solomons, a Carrollton Republican, told members of the House Committee on Public Health. “These guys are basically luring teens in.” More

UTMB Rushes to Rehire
from The Houston Chronicle, March 17, 2009
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which laid off more than 2,400 employees last fall because of damage caused by Hurricane Ike, has begun rehiring in earnest. School officials said Monday they’ve rehired about 500 people since January and will continue hiring in large numbers in coming months, action that has caused some to question whether last November’s cuts were rash. More

Health Care Reform Consensus Builds Around Three Major Goals
from Fox Business, March 16, 2009
Health care reform encompasses a wide array of issues, many of them controversial. But it appears consensus is forming in Washington over changes that would boost a trio of meaningful reform goals: containing soaring medical costs, covering more uninsured people and producing better results for patients. More