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MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
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THURSDAY || 10/31/24
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“If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX)
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TOP NEWS
“Texas agrees to delay $116 billion Medicaid contract proposal,” Dallas Morning News' Karen Brooks Harper — “Texas human services officials have agreed to delay signing new Medicaid contracts until summer so lawmakers can weigh in on a proposal to force three nonprofit children’s hospital plans out of the program and change coverage for 1.8 million low-income Texans.
The delay, detailed in court filings this week, temporarily halts a challenge to a court-ordered ban on new contracts that included a proposed $116 billion overhaul for managed care organizations covering low-income Texans in the state’s Medicaid STAR program and Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Officials with Cook Children’s Health Plan in Fort Worth, one of the nonprofits affected by the proposed changes, called the agreement good news and said they look forward to working with lawmakers “to ensure a just and equitable solution.”
“As we’ve consistently maintained, this issue is of paramount importance, affecting thousands of children and families in many underserved communities across Texas,” officials said in a written statement to The Dallas Morning News. “This is undoubtedly the right course of action. Thank you to everyone involved.”
The proposed contract procurement, which emerged in March from an 18-month bidding process, would have displaced nearly half the Texans who receive Medicaid STAR and CHIP coverage from six managed care organizations across the state, switching them to new plans in late 2025.
It would have eliminated from the program health plans run for two decades by three of the state’s four major nonprofit children’s hospitals: Cook Children’s Hospital, Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
Dropping those three plans would displace about 700,000 members from their current coverage. Officials from Cook’s and Driscoll have said their plans would shut down if their contracts weren’t renewed. The hospitals are not in danger of closing, officials have said.
The proposed change also would displace hundreds of thousands of residents from three other plans that have operated under the program since 2012." DMN ($)
TX TRIB: “Texas' housing shortage is getting worse, report says” Texas Tribune
TX TRIB / VOTEBEAT: “When will Texas election results come in? Here's how the process unfolds” Texas Tribune
TX TRIB: “Colin Allred courts Black voters in the final days of his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz” Texas Tribune
SA REPORT: “Allison vs. Abbott: Republicans line up on opposite sides of unusual HD121 race” SA Report
HOU LANDING: “Harris County is about to elect a new district attorney -- here's what voters want to see next” Houston Landing
SAEN: “Inmate deaths loom over race for Bexar County sheriff” SAEN ($)
DMN: “Dallas official responsible for city's legislative plan to leave for Austin City Hall” DMN ($)
DMN: “American Airlines mechanics, fleet workers approve 27-month contract extension” DMN ($)
HOU CHRON: “Southwest Airlines plans new overnight flights from Seattle to Houston” Houston Chronicle ($)
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "Second Texas doctor sued for providing gender-affirming care to minors" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Texas buys two ranches near the border, including a huge property next to Big Bend National Park" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Reading, writing and religion? A Texas curriculum advisory board’s link to faith-based advocacy" TX TRIB
> AP: "Ted Cruz, Colin Allred make spirited final pitches to Texas voters in Senate race" AP
> TX MONTHLY: "Can Transphobia Save Ted Cruz’s Political Career?" TX MONTHLY
> AP: "News groups ask Texas court to order release of state police records of Uvalde shooting" AP
> HOU CHRON: "Cruz-Allred is the most expensive U.S. Senate race in the country" HOU CHRON
> TX TRIB: "In Texas, criminal charges and misdemeanor convictions don’t automatically take away people’s voting rights" TX TRIB
> HOU CHRON: "Data centers use a lot of electricity, and in Texas that's a win for natural gas" HOU CHRON
> HOU CHRON: "Over 1,600 patients to lose insurance coverage at MD Anderson" HOU CHRON
> AAS: "How Texas has become a big-money player in national politics" AAS
> SA REPORT: "Project Quest saw a 234% ROI on workforce training. What does that mean for Ready to Work?" SA REPORT
> THE TEXAN: "Houston School District’s $4.4 Billion Bond Faces Uphill Battle, Bipartisan Opposition" THE TEXAN
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Bastrop 552 film studios no longer waiting in the wings, building to begin" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> THE TEXAN: "Dallas Voters Face 18 City Charter Amendments on November Ballot" THE TEXAN
> TX TRIB: "Hundreds illegally got Texas teacher licenses through cheating ring, Harris County prosecutors say" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Ken Paxton resisting Texas House members’ bid to hear Robert Roberson’s testimony" TX TRIB
EXTRA POINTS
Last night's Texas sports scores:
> NBA: Oklahoma City 105, San Antonio 93
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 7:15pm: NFL: Houston at NY Jets (Amazon)
> 7:30pm: NBA: Houston at Dallas
> 8pm: NBA: San Antonio at Utah
DALLAS COWBOYS: "3 Dallas Cowboys keys to victory over the Atlanta Falcons" DMN ($)
HOUSTON TEXANS: "Houston Texans vs. NY Jets: 5 things to watch and a Week 9 prediction" Houston Chronicle ($)
TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: "Texas A&M football vs South Carolina: Scouting report, predictions for Week 10" AAS ($)
HOUSTON DYNAMO: "Houston Dynamo: Ezequiel Ponce adds offense for MLS playoff push" Houston Chronicle ($)
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