Policy Orientation 2016

A supplemental spending bill passed by the 84th Legislature caused total state spending on health and human services (Article II) to exceed education spending (Article III) for the first time in Texas history. As the state’s Medicaid rolls continue to grow (even without the ACA Medicaid expansion), hospitals face looming federal funding cuts, and the state grapples with unprecedented healthcare costs, how can we stabilize the growth of state healthcare spending while improving access to and quality of care?

**This panel is CLE accredited** 

In April 2015, the Texas Medical Board issued a rule that made Texas the most restrictive state in the country for the regulation of telemedicine. In response, Teladoc, a major telemedicine firm based in Dallas, filed a federal lawsuit against TMB. This came on the heels of a SCOTUS ruling in North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC that will likely have major implications for the future of telemedicine regulation in Texas and across the country.