Legislative Updates

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Stop the Medicare changes; preserve your access to your doctor

Your Medicare benefits should ensure you have a physician in charge of your care. However, unless Congress acts now, patient access to physician care may be severely impeded. Click on the link below to reach out to your representative.

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2023 TMA Legislative Wrap-up

At the heart of the Texas Medical Association’s legislative agenda was protecting the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship, whether from interference from insurers and other nonmedical entities, laws that lower the standard of care, or public health threats
The House of Medicine stood fast in its mission to attain results on TMA’s top 10 legislative priorities set by TMA’s Council on Legislation in fall 2022. Legislative wins were hard fought, requiring work from every angle of the association – especially its impressive grass roots. More than 450 physicians, medical students, and alliance members attended First Tuesdays at the Capitol, the association’s premier lobby event. More than 60 physicians showed up to testify and more than 1,700 emails and calls were sent or made to educate lawmakers on key issues. In the end, TMA garnered wins on every top 10 legislative priority. Source: TMA

»See the results of the 2023 TMA/HCMS legislative efforts.


2023 HCMS/TMA Texas Legislative Priorities


Listen to the podcasts below to learn about our Texas Legislative Priorities




88th Texas Legislative Session wrap up



Corporate Practice of Medicine
Ensure Physicians and Patients Determine Care: Uphold Texas’ Corporate Practice of Medicine Ban
Texas is among a few states that prohibit the corporate practice of medicine, ensuring physicians can exercise professional medical judgment about a patient’s health care without financial or other outside pressures. This law is foundational to effective health care and the ability to meet patients’ needs by keeping nonphysicians or corporate entities out of the practice of medicine. 

Medicaid
Extend Meaningful Health Care Coverage to More Texans 
Access to timely health care supports healthy people and communities while expanding state and local economies – a win-win for patients and taxpayers. 

Medicaid Payments  
Revitalize the Medicaid Physician Network 
Physicians strongly support Texas Medicaid. For 18% of Texans, it provides essential coverage for a wide range of health care services – from prenatal care and check-ups to substance abuse treatment and long-term care services. 

Medical Liability 
Preserve Medical Liability Protections 
Strong liability protections, including the state’s 2003 tort reform law and 2021 law protecting physicians from liability during a declared disaster, make Texas an increasingly attractive state in which to practice medicine. Medical liability protections historically have reduced frivolous lawsuits and lowered physicians’ liability insurance premiums. 

Opioids
Stop the Opioid Crisis Epidemic
The “opioid crisis” – deaths from opioid overdoses – persists and is worsening, and it is no longer mostly about prescription opioids. Illicitly made and sold fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is the main culprit. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine just one fentanyl-laced pill can kill someone.

Scope of Practice 
Protect Patient Safety With Physician-Led Health Care Teams
While all health care professionals play a critical role on a patient's care team, physicians should lead the health care team. Only physicians have the education, training, and experience to ensure the quality and safety of care Texans deserve.

Telemedicine
Support Payment Parity for Telemedicine 
Telemedicine is a powerful tool to help physicians meet Texans’ health care needs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine protected patients’ health and safety by eliminating exposure risk from health care settings and reducing delays in access to care. Recognizing the value, physicians and patients alike are eager to continue virtual health care services. But policy must align with opportunity, leaving no room for inconsistent payment, licensing, and regulatory standards that threaten physicians’ ability to continue delivering care with telemedicine.

Texas Medical Board (TMB)
Adequately Fund the Texas Medical Board
Texas leads the nation in numeric population growth, and over the years, the state’s physician workforce has grown significantly as well. To keep up with these and other trends, the state needs a strong and fair TMB that protects Texas patients, upholds high ethical and professional standards for physicians, helps preserve the state’s 2003 medical liability reforms, and maintains Texas physicians’ professional image.

Women's Health 
Improve Health for Mothers and Babies 
Texas must improve health care coverage, access, and supportive social services to ensure healthy outcomes for mom’s and their babies. 

Workforce/Graduate Medical Education (GME) 
Grow the Physician Workforce in Texas: GME Is Key to Texas Physician Growth 
Texas’ population, at 29.5 million in 2021, is projected to reach 35 million by 2030. During the past year, an average of 850 people were added to the state each day. Meanwhile Texans – having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic – have a greater awareness of physicians’ lifesaving work and how the health of every Texan depends directly on access to medical care. 



 

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