Womens Health

May Owen, MD, Outreach Program - 10/04/2024

The May Owen, MD, Outreach Program is a grant program of the TMA Women Physicians Section (TMA WPS) that provides funding to bring female physician oriented programs and activities to small and mid-sized county medical societies.  

Delegates Emphasize Women’s, Reproductive Health Ahead of Legislative Session - 05/15/2024

Continuing its mission to improve the health of mothers and babies in Texas, along with addressing ongoing sexual health and opioid crises, TMA passed and strengthened policy to shape the association’s advocacy come legislative session.

Postpartum Coverage Extension Brings Payment Complexities - 04/05/2024

As the 12-month postpartum coverage Texas legislature approved took effect March 1, physicians and their practice staff should take note of subsequent payment complexities, Texas Medical Association experts caution.

Medicaid, CHIP Postpartum Coverage Extension Will Take Effect March 1 - 02/08/2024

After a multi-session advocacy effort by the Texas Medical Association, specialty societies, and women’s health advocates, Texans who are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and who are pregnant or become pregnant will see their postpartum coverage automatically extended starting March 1.

The Power of One Voice: Elisabeth Potter, MD's Advocacy Helped Upend CMS' Plan to End Certain Breast Surgery Coverage - 11/01/2023

Elisabeth Potter, MD’s spirited advocacy helped upend CMS’ plan to eliminate coverage for a preferred breast reconstruction surgery.

Patient Care Protected: Women's Reproductive Health - 08/14/2023

One of the Texas Medical Association's top legislative priorities this session was to get clarity for physicians on how they can safely treat pregnant women while protecting the patient-physician relationship.

Texas Medicine Inbox: June 2017 - 07/17/2023

Inbox — June 2017 Tex Med. 2017 113(6) 6. I read with great interest the commentary, "Epidural Use Disparities by Spanish Speaking People in Labor," by Estevan A. Apodaca, MD, a family medicine resident,

Physician-Led Results: Women’s Reproductive Health - 06/28/2023

Physicians entered the 2023 legislative session with heavy concerns over and difficulties in interpreting Texas' abortion statutes when caring for pregnant women in crisis. A last-minute bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott now provides some legal defenses under Texas' abortion ban when treating certain potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications.

Stop Maternal Deaths: Texas Report Reinforces TMA Legislative Priorities - 03/10/2023

The latest biennial survey of maternal death and illness shows why the Texas Medical Association made improving maternal health one of its top priorities for the current state legislative session.

Counting on Women’s Health: Texas Takes Steps to Fix Maternal Mortality Data - 11/23/2022

There is a lot of confusion about how cases of maternal death and illness are counted in Texas, and the work of unraveling that confusion falls on the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee.

Ten Years Later: TMA Advocacy Nets Investments in Women’s Health - 07/27/2022

A decade ago, the Texas Legislature made a funding decision that devasted low-income women’s access to health care and the physicians and community clinics that care for them. After 10 years, with the help of TMA advocacy and the formation of the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition, funding for family planning and overall women’s health is in significantly better shape.

TMA Statement Regarding Roe V. Wade Opinion - 06/24/2022

Statement by Texas Medical Association (TMA) President Gary W. Floyd, MD, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding Roe v. Wade.

Texas No. 1 in Congenital Syphilis Cases: How All Docs Can Help - 05/11/2022

With Texas leading the nation in the number of congenital syphilis cases, a Texas Medical Association collaboration on new resources aims to help all physicians understand the growing public health threat and tackle it head on through improved diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Private Health Plans Must Cover Women’s Obesity Counseling, Other Preventive Services - 04/05/2022

Starting next year, private health plan policies that began after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect now will have to cover multiple types of prevention counseling for women, as well as contraceptive care, double electric breast pumps, and more.

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 2 - 07/27/2021

When it comes to health care, women have specific medical needs that require special attention, from family planning to pre- and post-menopausal care. However, a significant number of Texas women do not have health insurance to access those necessary medical services.

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 1 - 07/20/2021

More than 6 million women of reproductive age live in Texas, and 25% of them are uninsured. Health programs that aim to support and improve the health of Texas women are of the utmost importance. However, many Texas women are unaware of the free and low-cost medical services available statewide.

Physician-Led Results: Big Steps Forward in Medicaid, Maternal Health - 06/23/2021

One of the Texas Medical Association’s biggest wins this session came in the partial realization of medicine’s longtime advocacy to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum maternal care.

Support Maternal Health Coverage for Texas Women - 01/30/2021

Becoming a new mother is a time of celebration and joy. Yet for many Texas women the journey to motherhood can be perilous and potentially deadly. According to new data from the state’s panel of maternal health experts, too many women die during pregnancy or in the year following, though 9 in 10 of these deaths were potentially preventable.

Federal Funding for Women’s Health Services in Texas Restored - 01/24/2020

Texas will again receive matching federal funds for women’s health services through a Medicaid 1115 waiver Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, Texas will receive about $350 million from Washington over the next five years to cover the vast majority of costs for its Healthy Texas Women program.

More Funds for Medicaid, Women’s Health Needed, TMA Tells HHSC - 12/02/2019

Bolstering Medicaid and enhancing women’s health services are once again on the Texas Medical Association’s agenda as it makes recommendations to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) for the agency’s 2022-23 budget requests.

Prevention of Opioid Abuse Through Education - 10/15/2019

HB 405 was written to require collaborative efforts and involve many stakeholders who are involved in the health and well-being of mothers and infants across our state. This is the best way to ensure that as many women as possible hear about NAS and its harmful outcomes. Creating more awareness of what causes NAS and potential impacts of the condition will only help our state become a better place for all mothers and babies. HB 405 would help bring needed attention and resources to help educate our state on NAS.

Improving Birth Outcomes by Designating Facility Levels of Care - 05/07/2019

The neonatal and maternal designation standards are new. It takes time – and patience — to find the right balance. As the state and stakeholders navigate the process, we urge lawmakers to stay focused on the original purpose of establishing neonatal and maternal levels of care in the first place – to provide a statewide system that promotes safe, high-quality, medically appropriate care to improve birth outcomes for mothers and babies.

Allow Pregnant Moms to Take Their Kids to Medical Appointments - 04/30/2019

Prenatal and postpartum care are vital to the health and well-being of mothers and babies, yet transportation is a barrier for many of our most “at-risk” patients and their babies. This barrier leads to missed appointments, which is associated with increased medical costs for patients, disruption of patient care and patient-physician relationships, delayed care, and increased emergency room visits. HB 25 is an attempt to address this problem by creating a pilot program that would streamline nonemergent medical transportation services in Medicaid.

Maintain Level of Care Standards for Neonatal and Maternal Hospitals - 03/08/2019

The neonatal and maternal designation standards are new. It takes time – and patience – to find the right balance. As the state and stakeholders navigate the process, we urge lawmakers to stay focused on the original purpose of establishing neonatal and maternal levels of care in the first place – to provide a statewide system that promotes safe, high-quality, medically appropriate care to improve birth outcomes for mothers and babies.

Protect the Reproductive Health of Texas’ Young Women - 03/06/2019

We know a variety of socioeconomic and health risks are associated with unplanned pregnancies of our young patients. With parental consent, reducing barriers to contraception – including long-acting reversible contraceptives – helps guarantee fewer unplanned pregnancies and associated health risks and fewer abortions, and more education and greater economic opportunities for our patients.