For the Republican lawmakers who represent Tarrant County in Congress, the House Democratic healthcare bill is too big, too costly and too much government, a message that seems to be resonating with Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards of nearby Waco, who is taking a wait-and-see attitude, promising to read the 1,990-page bill before making up his mind. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, said: "Meet the new bill, same as the old bill. All I see is more government, in which Washington will dictate what insura... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Chair of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, released the following statement today after House Democrat leaders unveiled their latest health care reform bill: “Americans from all walks of life have a story to tell about the difficulties a tough medical diagnoses has brought on, or their struggles with paying medical bills. I do not deny that reforms are needed, but Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats have simply put forth the wrong kind of reform... Read more

UPDATED: Information on the Swine Flu Tarrant County Public Health to offer free H1N1 vaccines to pregnant women and children with chronic illnesses. WHEN: Friday, October 30th, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Birdville ISD W.G. Thomas Coliseum, 6108 Broadway, in Haltom City For more information, click here. Letter of Guidance to State Health Officials from CMS Information on H1N1 in Spanish Univision is working with government and health organizations in the country to help provide free Spanish-langua... Read more

Large-scale individual mandates aren't necessarily the most effective way to get people to enroll in health insurance, a panel of experts said during a meeting held by the Congressional Health Care Caucus. Such a mandate, which is under consideration as a component of healthcare reform, “is problematic in a free society,” and wouldn't necessarily have a 100% success rate, said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), who chairs the caucus. The Internal Revenue Service for example mandates that all citize... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (Texas-26) has scheduled a Town Hall meeting for this Saturday, October 24th, at 10:00 a.m., on the Texas Wesleyan University campus in Fort Worth. The Town Hall gives residents of Texas’ 26th Congressional District the chance to learn more about the health care proposals Congress is currently considering, or any other issues. Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-Nevada) today unveiled The Bone Health Promotion and Research Act, H.R. 3856. The legislation, introduced on October 20th to mark World Osteoporosis Day, establishes a comprehensive national bone health strategy focused on education, prevention and research. Read more

Dear Editor, I agree with Kerry Solan’s “Medicare policy needs revision” op-ed piece on Oct. 13 that changes are needed to the Medicare policy regarding kidney transplant patients. There are a lot of misaligned incentives in the Medicare program, and this is one of them, which is why I think it is important that Congress fix it. Kidney transplant patients without private health care insurance are eligible for Medicare, regardless of their age. Medicare pays for dialysis, the transplant and, curr... Read more

In the race to get health reforms approved by the end of the year, doctors and other healthcare lobbying groups are hoping that Medicare’s physician payment fix will be the first to cross the finish line. But as the Senate moves to consider a bill on the floor next week to remove the troublesome formula that sets Medicare payment rates for doctors, murky questions remain on how the multibillion-dollar problem will ultimately be paid for. Medicare’s physician payment formula is driven by the sust... Read more

Your article "Hospitals Find Way to Make Care Cheaper—Make It Better" (page one, Oct. 6) addresses a serious problem that deserves a bipartisan solution, and I'm happy to report that it may be getting one. Knowing the facts about health-care pricing empowers consumers to make decisions that produce better care and lower costs. If you're not from Pennsylvania, however, you're probably deciding in the dark. Insurance companies, government-run health programs and health-care providers generally don... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, released the following statement after the Senate Finance Committee approved, by a vote of 14-9, their version of health care reform legislation: Read more