Healthcare

With the NFL not holding a supplemental draft this summer, former Texas Tech University quarterback Brendan Sorsby out of the NFL at least next April. Our Samantha Larned reports this comes after his lawsuit against the NCAA was dismissed. Meanwhile the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas says healthcare fraud cases are at an “all-time high.”

Priorities for Republican leadership last legislative session have either been stuck in the courts or left to linger in the state rulemaking process.

TORCH CIN, a physician-hospital organization representing 45 rural and community hospitals across Texas, announced Friday it will end its contracts with UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company over "unsustainable" reimbursement rates. The leader of TORCH CIN said the current rates pose an "existential threat" to rural hospitals.

A new report shows Texas leading the country in its rate of uninsured children under 6.

Starting today, crews from the City of Lubbock are beginning work on pavement repairs on University Avenue, between 50th Street and Loop 289. Meanwhile, contractors will also begin doing erosion repairs and adding infrastructure to the Lake 6 Dam on the south side of Lake Dunbar, shutting down traffic on the southern end of Canyon Lakes Drive near the dam. KERA’s Avery Escamilla-Wendell reports on a new analysis showing the uninsured rate for young Texas kids is the highest in the country – and it’s rising.

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund found Texas has worse racial and ethnic health disparities than other states in the Southwest.

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%.