Why Do Texas Republicans Still Oppose Medicaid Expansion?
More than two-thirds of Texans support Medicaid expansion. But on the eve of the midterm elections, the subject is still taboo for the state GOP. Why?
To Protect Her Twin Baby, Texas Woman Was Forced to Seek Abortion Care Out of State
The story of Ashley Brandt underscores the impact state abortion bans can have on patients confronted with severe fetal abnormalities.
medicaid expansion project: ‘the holdouts’
Public Health Watch Reporters: Our Year Investigating Health Care Gaps in East Texas
Writers Kim Krisberg and David Leffler tell their story about reporting on two doctors in Gun Barrel City, Texas, who opened a clinic for low-income, uninsured residents and the impacts of their investigation.
commentary
Inside a Bus, East Texans Get the Health Care They Can’t Afford or Find Anywhere Else
Access to health care is limited in rural Texas. The mobile clinic operated by Beaumont-based TAN Healthcare aims to close that gap.
10 Things to Know About the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Requirement
When the national public health emergency spurred by the pandemic ends, millions of low-income people could lose their health-care coverage under Medicaid. Here’s a deeper look at the implications.
When Malpractice Occurs at Community Health Centers, Taxpayers Pay
Federally funded clinics and their doctors are protected against lawsuits by federal law, with taxpayers footing the bill. The health centers say that allows them to better serve their low-income patients, but lawyers say the system handcuffs consumers with a cumbersome legal process and makes it harder for the public to see problems.
When Malpractice Occurs at Community Health Centers, Taxpayers Pay
Federally funded clinics and their doctors are protected against lawsuits by federal law, with taxpayers footing the bill. The health centers say that allows them to better serve their low-income patients, but lawyers say the system handcuffs consumers with a cumbersome legal process and makes it harder for the public to see problems.
Sick Profit: Investigating Private Equity’s Stealthy Takeover of Health Care Across Cities and Specialties
Two-year-old Zion Gastelum died just days after dentists performed root canals and put crowns on six baby teeth at a clinic affiliated with a private equity firm.
commentary
With Flu Season Approaching, Vaccine Hesitancy Becomes a Big Worry
Vaccine hesitancy and refusal have become a public health crisis. This was true even before the pandemic when, in 2019, the World Health Organization named vaccine hesitancy a top-ten threat to global health.
Workers Keep Dying in Trenches. It’s a Symptom of America’s Tepid Commitment to Worker Safety.
OSHA said 22 workers had died in trench cave-ins during the first six months of this year, compared to 15 in all of 2021.
Stealth Impact of Climate Change: Deteriorating Mental Health
Climate change has caused more intense wildfires, floods, hurricanes and inflicted other forms of tangible harm. But an oft-overlooked consequence is worsening mental health.
toxic texas air
Why Do So Many Chemical Releases in Texas Go Unpunished?
In some cases, these “emissions events” aren’t illegal. In others, state regulators give polluters the benefit of the doubt.
As Alarm Over Plastic Grows, Saudis Ramp Up Production in the US
President Biden is in the kingdom this week to strengthen ties, consistent with ‘American values.’ Meanwhile, a US-Saudi joint venture on the Texas coast is pumping out toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases.
A Texas County Wants to Punish Polluters. The State Won’t Let It.
Residents of eastern Harris County have grown tired of almost-daily chemical leaks and the occasional catastrophe. A new generation of county officials is trying to help them, even as state leaders undercut their authority and restrict voting access.
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featured stories
The Titans of Plastic
Pennsylvania becomes the newest sacrifice zone for America’s plastic addiction.
Lots of Things Drive Violence in Prison. Add Heat to the List.
To keep our cool in this record hot summer, most of us are probably choosing to spend more time in air-conditioned spaces. For many people in Georgia prisons, that simply is not an option.
Protect Water or Advance Green Energy
The green economy creates a tug-of-war in Northeast Minnesota, where companies seeking mining rights for critical minerals challenge those trying to protect pristine waterways.
Texas Abortion Providers Feel ‘Ignored’ by the Biden Administration
After the state’s strictest-in-the-nation abortion ban went into effect last year, the president promised a ‘whole-of-government’ response that experts say has not materialized.
environment
Small Plant, Big Polluter
Thanks to a loophole in the Clean Air Act, William Koch’s Oxbow plant in Port Arthur, Texas, puts out 10 times as much lung-damaging sulfur dioxide as its industrial neighbors. People who live nearby have asked the state for help, to no avail.
Koch-Owned Plant Finds Legal Ways to Pollute
A clean energy company that once operated at William Koch’s Oxbow plant in Port Arthur, Texas, claimed in a lawsuit that Oxbow manipulated sulfur dioxide emissions to avoid spending millions on pollution controls. Oxbow said it complies with the law.
While ExxonMobil Touts Net-Zero Promise, Its Huge Plastics Complex in Texas Goes Online
The same day ExxonMobil announced its ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, word spread that its mammoth plastics manufacturing complex in Texas had begun production. The plant could pump more than 3.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year.
Flaring at Gulf Coast Plastics Plant Alarms Neighbors, Signals Growth in Polluting Projects
Environmental advocates fear that Gulf Coast residents are poised to suffer from new energy projects expected to add 50 million tons of greenhouse-gas pollution in coming years.
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other stories
Young and Dying: Veterans Are Getting Brain Cancer and Struggling to Get Benefits
A joint investigation by Military.com and Public Health Watch found that glioblastoma, while rare, has struck hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Many must fight for health care and compensation.
Cancer Cases in Kids Are Rising. Some Experts Blame Toxic Chemicals.
While death rates for childhood cancer victims are going down, incidence rates are going up. Are environmental exposures at fault?
Iowa’s Toxic Brew
Iowa copes with the climate-chemical reaction that can play havoc with drinking water.
