Resisting the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remained a priority this session, as it was the last session of the Texas Legislature, but the issue was not as hotly contested this time around, and none of the Medicaid-expansion bills filed received a hearing. Likewise, bills that would have created a state health-insurance exchange under the ACA did not get a hearing. Texas lawmakers held the line and resisted implementing the ACA despite pressure from a coalition of hospitals, providers, chambers of commerce, county judges, school districts, and various advocacy groups.
Don’t Fence Me In: Challenges for Health Care in Rural Texas
LLANO, TEXAS—Dr. Jack Franklin often stops for coffee on his way to his modest office in this Texas Hill Country town. With a population of about 3,300, Llano is small enough that he’s bound to bump into a patient or two from time to time. At the Fuel Coffee House, he’s even served his daily...