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Postpartum Coverage Extension Brings Payment Complexities - 04/05/2024

As the 12-month postpartum coverage Texas legislature approved took effect March 1, physicians and their practice staff should take note of subsequent payment complexities, Texas Medical Association experts caution.

May Owen, MD, Outreach Program - 02/23/2024

The May Owen, MD, Outreach Program is a grant program of the TMA Women Physicians Section (TMA WPS) that provides funding to bring female physician oriented programs and activities to small and mid-sized county medical societies.  

Medicaid, CHIP Postpartum Coverage Extension Will Take Effect March 1 - 02/08/2024

After a multi-session advocacy effort by the Texas Medical Association, specialty societies, and women’s health advocates, Texans who are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and who are pregnant or become pregnant will see their postpartum coverage automatically extended starting March 1.

The Power of One Voice: Elisabeth Potter, MD's Advocacy Helped Upend CMS' Plan to End Certain Breast Surgery Coverage - 11/01/2023

Elisabeth Potter, MD’s spirited advocacy helped upend CMS’ plan to eliminate coverage for a preferred breast reconstruction surgery.

Patient Care Protected: Women's Reproductive Health - 08/14/2023

One of the Texas Medical Association's top legislative priorities this session was to get clarity for physicians on how they can safely treat pregnant women while protecting the patient-physician relationship.

Texas Medicine Inbox: June 2017 - 07/17/2023

Inbox — June 2017 Tex Med. 2017 113(6) 6. I read with great interest the commentary, "Epidural Use Disparities by Spanish Speaking People in Labor," by Estevan A. Apodaca, MD, a family medicine resident,

Physician-Led Results: Women’s Reproductive Health - 06/28/2023

Physicians entered the 2023 legislative session with heavy concerns over and difficulties in interpreting Texas' abortion statutes when caring for pregnant women in crisis. A last-minute bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott now provides some legal defenses under Texas' abortion ban when treating certain potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications.

TMA Asks AMA to Stay Out of Affordable Care Act Suit - 05/02/2023

Leaders of the Texas Medical Association on Tuesday publicly objected to the American Medical Association’s plans to get involved in a high-profile federal lawsuit — filed in Texas — challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

TMA-Backed Bills Would Increase Access to Women’s Reproductive, Early Childhood Health Care - 03/24/2023

Twelve month postpartum coverage and a boost to certain Medicaid payments top a list of measures Texas lawmakers are moving on that would bolster women’s health care services, in line with the Texas Medical Association’s priorities for

Stop Maternal Deaths: Texas Report Reinforces TMA Legislative Priorities - 03/10/2023

The latest biennial survey of maternal death and illness shows why the Texas Medical Association made improving maternal health one of its top priorities for the current state legislative session.

Counting on Women’s Health: Texas Takes Steps to Fix Maternal Mortality Data - 11/23/2022

There is a lot of confusion about how cases of maternal death and illness are counted in Texas, and the work of unraveling that confusion falls on the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee.

Ten Years Later: TMA Advocacy Nets Investments in Women’s Health - 07/27/2022

A decade ago, the Texas Legislature made a funding decision that devasted low-income women’s access to health care and the physicians and community clinics that care for them. After 10 years, with the help of TMA advocacy and the formation of the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition, funding for family planning and overall women’s health is in significantly better shape.

TMA Statement Regarding Roe V. Wade Opinion - 06/24/2022

Statement by Texas Medical Association (TMA) President Gary W. Floyd, MD, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding Roe v. Wade.

Texas No. 1 in Congenital Syphilis Cases: How All Docs Can Help - 05/11/2022

With Texas leading the nation in the number of congenital syphilis cases, a Texas Medical Association collaboration on new resources aims to help all physicians understand the growing public health threat and tackle it head on through improved diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Private Health Plans Must Cover Women’s Obesity Counseling, Other Preventive Services - 04/05/2022

Starting next year, private health plan policies that began after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect now will have to cover multiple types of prevention counseling for women, as well as contraceptive care, double electric breast pumps, and more.

Tell Your Uninsured Patients About HealthCare.gov Marketplace Enrollment - 11/19/2021

Enrollment in the federal health insurance marketplace on HealthCare.gov is now open, so it’s a good idea to let your uninsured patients know the option is there. And if they sign up by Dec. 15, their coverage will begin at the start of 2022.

CDC: Physicians Should “Strongly Recommend” COVID Vaccine for Pregnant People - 10/05/2021

In light of a low COVID-19 vaccination rate among people who are pregnant, and a recent high in COVID-19-related deaths among that population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking health care professionals to “strongly recommend” the vaccine to people who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.

Enrollment for Marketplace Plans Extended by One Month - 09/24/2021

The Biden-Harris administration has announced a 30-day extension of the upcoming open enrollment period for federal marketplace health plans available through HealthCare.gov, as well as a new monthly special enrollment period targeting people with low incomes.

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 2 - 07/27/2021

When it comes to health care, women have specific medical needs that require special attention, from family planning to pre- and post-menopausal care. However, a significant number of Texas women do not have health insurance to access those necessary medical services.

Remind Uninsured Patients: ACA Enrollment Ends Aug. 15 - 07/21/2021

The Texas Medical Association encourages physicians to remind uninsured patients to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Special Enrollment Period , which has been extended to Aug. 15 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 1 - 07/20/2021

More than 6 million women of reproductive age live in Texas, and 25% of them are uninsured. Health programs that aim to support and improve the health of Texas women are of the utmost importance. However, many Texas women are unaware of the free and low-cost medical services available statewide.

Physician-Led Results: Big Steps Forward in Medicaid, Maternal Health - 06/23/2021

One of the Texas Medical Association’s biggest wins this session came in the partial realization of medicine’s longtime advocacy to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum maternal care.

CMS Finalizes Lower-Than-Proposed Cost-Sharing for Marketplace Plans; Enrollment Closes Aug. 15 - 06/17/2021

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has settled on a lower maximum for consumers’ out-of-pocket costs for federal health insurance marketplace plans in 2022 than what the agency proposed last November.

Weighing the Cost of Obesity: One Solution Does Not Fit All For This Complicated Disease - 05/25/2021

Obesity causes or contributes to a range of fatal and debilitating health conditions. On top of this, obesity has emerged as one of the largest contributing factors in severe illness and death among those who contract COVID-19, according to several studies.

As Scope Defenses Continue, TMA Opposes Treatment Expansion for Midwives - 05/04/2021

Throughout the 2021 session, troublesome bills to expand nonphysicians’ scope of practice have collectively been a sleeping monster – kept dormant by the House of Medicine’s dogged advocacy efforts, but in constant need of monitoring should the beast awaken.