Texas
Texas blocked from forcing 1.5 million people to change health plans
A Texas judge has blocked the state from dropping 1.5 million residents from their health insurance plans.
District Judge Laurie Eiserloh blocked Texas Health and Human Services from approving contracts that would drop millions from the Cook Children’s Health Plan, Driscoll Health Plan and Texas Children Health plans.
These plans were available from south Texas to the Houston area and offered Medicaid STAR and CHIP coverage to predominantly children.
The state’s new $116 billion Medicaid contract proposal was scheduled to remove the three hospital plans, impacting low-income families and forcing them to choose plans under a different provider.
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Eiserloh’s temporary block order comes amid increasing concerns that the new Medicaid options could hurt overall healthcare in the state, especially for the financially needy, who often rely on STAR and CHIP coverage.
“The intended contract awards will impose significant harm and confusion on millions of Texas’ STAR & CHIP members,” Eiserloh wrote in a 10-page order.
In response to the ruling, Cook Children’s Health Care System said this will “help to ensure that our members continue to have access to the care they need, when they need it.”
Cook Children’s Health plan primarily serves Tarrant County families under Medicaid and CHIP.
While CHIP was created for children in families that earn too much to receive Medicaid but too little for private insurance, STAR is available to pregnant women, low-income children and adults.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the court for their careful consideration of this matter and for their decision in our favor,” a Cook Children’s spokesperson said in a statement. “Cook Children’s will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with all stakeholders to ensure that our Members continue to receive the best possible care.”
Newsweek has emailed the Texas Health and Human Services Wednesday afternoon for comment.
Cook Children’s Hospital originally filed a petition against the head of the Health and Human Services Commission to stop the new Medicaid contracts four months ago. The new coverage options were set to go into effect in September 2025.
“Our families are worth fighting for, and we’re going to continue to fight until the state does the right thing,” Karen Love, president of Cook Children’s Health Plan, said during a press conference in June. “The stakes are too high, and the consequences are too great to have this flawed decision set in stone. We are determined to ensure that it does not.”
Cook Children’s also accused the state agency of giving Aetna an “unfair advantage” by disclosing copies of competitors’ proposals prematurely.
The trial to decide the overall fate of Medicaid contracts in Texas is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2025, but the state could appeal the ruling or change their proposal before then.
Texas contracts with various managed care organizations, from health insurers to hospital system health plans, to administer its Medicaid and CHIP coverage.
The state has been looking to drop several of the organizations in September 2025, but the new ruling said Texas failed to follow the state code.
Under the new contracts, 43 percent of Texas STAR and CHIP members would have to switch to new health plans.
“So, for the time being, the new contracts are blocked, meaning there are no scheduled changes to the health plan options that STAR and CHIP members can choose,” Louise Norris, a health policy analyst for healthinsurance.org, told Newsweek.
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, called the decision a “huge win” for families that have health plans under the three providers.
“Over the past few months, there’s been a building fear that the dropping of these programs from the state would create an absolute mess when it came to not just finding families other plans, but also ensuring the same level of care currently being distributed to these patients would continue,” Beene told Newsweek in an email response Wednesday.
“There’s no guarantee this won’t be challenged legally again, as it very well could be. However, this decision does provide a ray of light to those currently being assisted through one of these providers that the service they’re receiving could continue after September of next year.”
For many, the judge’s block order ensures low to moderate income families have access to care that would otherwise be unaffordable, said Kevin Thompson, a finance expert and the founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group.
“This is a win for many families who would otherwise have to rely on stock-based plans like Aetna or Molina, whose primary responsibility is to shareholders, not patient care,” Thompson told Newsweek via email Wednesday.
Thompson, who lives in Fort Worth, said the Texas CHIP program and Cook Children’s were a “lifeline” for his family when his son was born at just one pound 13 ounces 13 years ago.
“These programs are built for families that cannot afford private health insurance or need Medicaid support,” Thompson said.
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.
A day off at the pool — and a little sunburn — didn’t stop the Minnesota Twins’ momentum.
Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer as Minnesota scored multiple runs in the first inning for the third consecutive game, and the Twins went on to complete a series sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 9-3 win Thursday.
Minnesota has won four games in a row and scored 25 runs in the three-games series in Texas. The two teams had a rare, mid-series day off on Wednesday with the England-Croatia World Cup game being played in Arlington.
“We’re locked in every day,” Lee told Audra Martin on the team’s broadcast. “Yesterday, taking time off, lay out by the pool, get a little burnt and then right back to it. We did a good job getting focused. I feel like we do that with rain delays, too, just lock back in and we’re doing it.”
Lee’s 12th homer capped a four-run first off Jack Leiter (3-7). Trevor Larnach made it 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run shot to straightaway center that just cleared the extended glove of leaping Alejandro Osuna. Larnach’s third hit was an RBI single in the fifth, and Ryan Kriedler hit a two-run homer in the eighth.
Joe Ryan (5-3) struck out seven but needed 97 pitches to get through five scoreless innings while allowing three singles. Leiter was done after the fourth, and has given up 17 runs while losing three starts in a row.
The Twins never trailed in the sweep that extended their winning streak to four, matching their longest this season. Their 14-5 record at Globe Life Field is the best for any American League opponent since the ballpark opened in 2020.
Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue hit solo homers for the Rangers, who have lost five of six games. They are 0-15 when giving up multiple runs in the first inning.
Twins DH Josh Bell, who was born in nearby Irving and grew up in the area, had an RBI single before Lee’s homer. Bell hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the series-opening 4-2 win Monday, and had an RBI single for a 2-0 lead in the first of a 12-2 win on Tuesday.
“We’re just passing the baton each time,” Lee said of the offensive output. “Our guys are hot. They feel good and they came out swinging today. It was awesome to see. We’ve done that for a while now.”
Up next
Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-4, 5.26 ERA) starts Friday at Arizona. The Diamondbacks are scheduled to start right-hander Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.11).
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