Experts in the News

Care worker co-ops could improve access to health care in low-income communities shut out by larger, higher priced, home health care services, said health policy fellow Vivian Ho. "The fewer services controlled by large, integrated networks, the better. That leads to job growth and closer contact [from workers who have] an understanding of the community they’re serving."

Texas left $100 billion on the table by failing to expand Medicaid, gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke has said. Health policy fellow Vivian Ho believes it could be more, citing the multiplier effect. "Federal dollars the state would not receive otherwise ... boost the economy in general," she said.

With current increased vaccination rates, health economics fellow Vivian Ho thought it was possible COVID-19 hospitalizations would begin to stabilize in the region — but Hurricane Ida and students heading back to school may have disrupted that trend.

Political messaging that casts doubt on vaccines becomes an echo chamber, giving a "megaphone" to government leaders who "don’t have the right info,” cautioned health economics fellow Vivian Ho.

The Biden administration recently said it will hold back federal funds to compel states like Texas and Florida to enact or enforce mask mandates. In Texas, "most of the [education] funding is from state taxpayer dollars," but the federal government might hold more leverage in health care, said fellow Vivian Ho.