71st legislature produces bills that improve health care in Texas

The 71st Texas Legislature adjourned May 29, ending what was an extremely successful session for the Texas Medical Association. During the 140-day session, TMA tracked more than 600 individual bills and secured passage of major legislation addressing rural health care, Medicaid enhancement, medical liability reform, and other measures to improve the quality of health care and the practice of medicine. TMA also was successful in blocking passage of legislation that might have lowered the quality of care. As this issue of Texas Medicine was going to press, Gov Bill Clements was threatening to veto the rural health care bill, House Bill 18. That issue was a possible agenda item for the special session Clements called for June 20. The special session was called specifically to deal with workers compensation reform, an issue the lawmakers failed to resolve during the regular session. This article, prepared by Ken Ortolon, public relations assistant, and the TMA Public Affairs staff, lists some of the issues TMA was involved in during the 71st session and their outcomes.