Healthcare

President Donald Trump has chosen Dr. Jennifer Shuford with the Texas Department of State Health Services as his pick for Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. KUT's Olivia Aldridge has more on Shuford's leadership through the state’s response to a measles outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic. A new 120,000-square-foot cancer center is opening on the University Medical Center campus, intending to provide more localized treatment for patients who often have to drive six hours or more for the latest care.

The contract between UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech Physicians expired at the end of March. Those with questions and concerns are encouraged to speak with their employer and/or insurance agent. This week, Lubbock Fire Rescue released its 2025 Annual Report. Our Bishop Van Buren says LFR set a new recruitment record for the second consecutive year. City of Lubbock Offices are closed today and will return to normal operations on Monday.

Folks who have UnitedHealthcare insurance plans could lose in-service coverage from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech Physicians according to an announcement on contract negotiations. Our Samantha Larned reports the deadline for the agreement is March 31. You can find more information here. New developments may stave off a water crisis in Corpus Christi for at least a few months. Texas Public Radio's Jerry Clayton has more on the water sources the city will be using.

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, at around 20%.

Texas has the largest number of rural hospitals in the country. In the past decade, 14 of the state’s rural hospitals have closed and another 82 are at risk of closure, according to a recent report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Despite funding challenges, some rural hospitals are continuing and even expanding services through community support.

Many who enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans are paying steeper premiums this year. That means cutting back in other areas.

The Department of Homeland Security wants to eliminate guidelines around what public benefits can be considered in a "public charge" determination. Experts and advocates warn it could lead to a "chilling effect" in migrant communities.

Shanice Jordan is one of the four million Texans enrolled in an Affordable Care Act health plan. But subsidies that make plans through the federal health insurance marketplace more affordable are set to expire at the end of the year — meaning Jordan and other Texans will premiums that are more than double what they currently pay.

Austin residents shopping the Affordable Care Act marketplace are making difficult decisions about whether the plans that fit their budget can meet their medical needs.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is proposing cuts to the reimbursement rates for certain services — like ventilators and wheelchairs. Providers told a public hearing Monday the new rates could hurt medical supply companies and their patients.