KUHF Health and Science Podcast

SpaceX Capsule Cleared To Leave Space Station and Head Back To Earth

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Wed, 30 May 2012 21:24:00 +0000

The first private spaceship to visit the International Space Station will attempt to return to earth tomorrow. Astronauts have loaded the Dragon capsule with cargo to bring back to Earth, and are preparing to release the unmanned vehicle about 4:30 tomorrow morning.

So far, the Dragon capsule has performed as expected.

But when it plunges back into Earth’s atmosphere, it will experience temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

That’s why NASA hasn’t put anything really important onboard.

Holly Ridings is Flight Director for NASA:

“Because this is the test flight, specifically the program made sure there’s not anything coming home that we couldn’t afford to not get back.”

If all goes well, the Dragon capsule will splash down in the Pacific about 550 miles southwest of Los Angeles.

It will then be transported to a SpaceX facility in McGregor, near Waco, and the cargo sent on to Johnson Space Center here in Houston.

SpaceX Mission Manager John Couluris says the Dragon’s journey from space station to splash-down should take about five and a half hours.

“It’s important to note we have a lot ahead of us on the SpaceX side. Once we leave integrated space with NASA, we still have the entire re-entry to perform. We’re really looking forward to it, we’ve done it once, but it’s still a very challenging phase of flight. And only a few countries have done this before, so we’re not taking this lightly at all.”

Couluris says even if re-entry fails, the mission should count as a major success in the ongoing cargo contract with NASA.

“The ability to get to space station on our first time, to not only rendezvous but then to berth, transfer cargo, and depart safely are major mission objectives. We would call that mission alone a success.”

The splashdown is expected at 10:44 a.m. Central Time.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

Dragon Docks At ISS In First For Commercial Space Flight

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:37:00 +0000

The first privately-controlled spaceship has reached the International Space Station. The Dragon capsule, belonging to the California company SpaceX, docked with the station this morning.

A little before noon, astronauts on the station used a robotic arm to dock the Dragon capsule.

Tomorrow, they’ll open the hatch and check inside.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk says that human beings are now one step closer to being a multi-planet species:

“There’s so much that could have gone wrong and it went right and we were able to overcome some last minute issues with some fast thinking, and got it there. And this really is going to be recognized as a significant historical step forward in space travel.”

SpaceX has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA for a series of cargo flights.

It also has private customers who want to send satellites into space.

Musk says that his company now needs to focus on making its rockets reusable.

“The cost of the fuel is only .3 percent of the cost of the mission, so if rockets can be made reusable then it’s possible to reduce the cost of space flight maybe by a factor of a hundred or more.”

Larry Bell oversees the Space Architecture program at the University of Houston.

He says the celebrations are justified, but the future of private space travel is not assured.

For one thing, the private companies are still dependent on government contracts for some of their revenue.

“Space is a very expensive hobby and it’s a very high-risk business if you want to look at it that way. Whether we can make the numbers work and find something really to go for, I think the key thing is going to be: keep the government space programs going and use those to nurture and support the commercial sector, I don’t think it’s an either/or.”

The astronauts will start unloading the cargo on Monday.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

Dragon Grappled and Berthed to Station

The SpaceX Dragon capsule is grappled and berthed to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module at 12:02 p.m. EDT, May 25, 2012.

Reaction in Mission Control to successful grapple by the ISS

Commercial Rocket En Route to International Space Station

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:54:00 +0000

The commercial SpaceX rocket is on its way to the International Space Station after a successful launch early this morning.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched at 2:44 this morning, carrying the unmanned Dragon spacecraft filled with cargo.

It's the first time a private company will attempt to deliver goods to the ISS.

SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk says they still have to test the instrument bay doors and the sensors to make sure the Dragon will be able to lock on to the ISS.

"And then we're going to see how well those sensors are performing. Then in a few days we will do a fly-by of the space station and attempt to do the lockon with the sensors and do precision maneuvers relative to the space station."

On Friday, NASA engineers will decide if Dragon will be allowed to approach the station. If preliminary maneuvers are successful, the spacecraft will dock with the ISS for six days before returning to Earth.

NASA's Associate Administrator for Human Exploration Bill Gerstenmaier says if things go well on this mission, NASA is prepared to immediately start using commercial rockets to deliver all cargo to the ISS.

"We'll take a look at how the mission goes and if we think the failure is small enough and can be easily corrected, then we could go right into commercial supply services and we wouldn't need to do another demonstration flight. If it's something that we collectively think requires a lot of extra work and would actually benefit from another test flight, then we would go propose a test flight."

SpaceX is also working with NASA to develop a private spacecraft that could carry seven astronauts to and from the ISS.

Private Company Will Attempt To Reach Space Station With Cargo

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Early tomorrow morning a private company, SpaceX, will launch a rocket into orbit from Cape Canaveral. Many are saying it will usher in a new era of commercialized space flight. But the mission remains highly experimental.

The SpaceX rocket will carry a cargo vehicle known as the Dragon, and in case you were wondering it is named after Puff the Magic Dragon.

Dragon will carry about 1,000 pounds of food and clothing for the astronauts on the International Space Station, plus some student science experiments.

None of that is considered essential, and officials say even if Dragon fails to berth with the station, that doesn’t mean the mission was a failure.

Phil McAlister is with NASA:

“NASA views test flights primarily as learning opportunities. They don’t fit very neatly into characterizations of success and failure. And if it gets us in a better posture to fly the next time, then that’s a good thing.”

Jeff Greason works for a competing rocket company and also advises the federal government on privatizing spaceflight.

Greason says anyone watching tomorrow morning should keep their expectations in check.

As an example, he compared this SpaceX launch with the historic Gemini flights of the 1960s.

“The whole Gemini program had test objectives that are in essence all being compressed into this one mission. It’s not like the first attempt to rendezvous in space on Gemini worked, so it’s a very ambitious step. I wish them all the success in the world, but as I said in the beginning if they get even halfway there, that’s still one for the books.”

Gwynne Shotwell is president of SpaceX, which is based in California and was founded by Elon Musk who created PayPal.

Shotwell says Dragon will only dock with the space station if a series of navigational tests is succesful:

“So we’ll do a fly-under, about two and a half kilometers under. Then we go in front of the space station, raise above it, start falling back behind it, and this is the re-rendezvous portion. And then we will start integrated operations around hour 70 of the mission. And then if all is going well, by hour 75 we should be berthed. Which is going to be really great.”

NASA has given contracts to a number of private spaceflight companies to jumpstart competition.

The goal is to ultimately allow the private companies to move people and cargo to and from low-earth orbit, so NASA can concentrate its budget on other things.

NASA estimates that one of the commercial carriers will fly astronauts by 2017, but SpaceX says it’s aiming to put humans inside the Dragon capsule by 2015.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

Legislators Grappling with State-Wide Shortage of Healthcare Workers

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:34:00 +0000

A Texas Legislative Committee met this week in Houston to discuss urgent health problems facing the state. Among them, the shortage of primary care doctors and the role nurses may play in filling the gap.

Texas is now embarking on a massive reorganization of its hospital finance system, one that will force competing hospitals to band together in regional partnerships.

Health Commissioner Thomas Suehs told the public health committee that the change will be hard at first.

But it will also encourage patients to seek medical care in primary care offices instead of going to the emergency room.

"Keep in mind you’ve got six and a half million Texas without health insurance. Now, we don’t debate about whether they get healthcare. They’re getting healthcare but they’re not getting healthcare in the most cost effective manner."

But the reorganization won’t solve the problem of Texas’ medical workforce.

Simply put, the state’s population is booming, and millions of Texans are aging.

“We got behind.”

Garnet Coleman is a state representative from Houston who serves on the public health committee:

“So we have a nursing shortage. And that nursing shortage has led to the need to actually educate more nurses. The same has happened with doctors except it’s about what specialties that they choose. And so we have a lower graduation rate of primary care physicians.”

Coleman says he will introduce a bill that will allow advanced practice nurses to provide more primary care.

Currently, higher-level nurses in Texas can treat patients and prescribe drugs under the supervision of a doctor.

But the rules in Texas are so cumbersome that nurses are being underutilized.

Kathy Hutto is with the Coalition for Nurses in Advanced Practice.

“There’s just a lot of bureaucratic hoops that people have to jump through in Texas that they don’t have to in 35 other states.”

Hutto says the outdated rules are preventing nurses from helping out in areas where there aren’t enough doctors:

“When these laws were originally passed back in the ‘80s no one had ever thought of electronic health records, no one had thought of people texting each other or tele-health being used where someone who is miles and miles away being able to consult with a nurse practitioner through using Skype. The world has changed and the laws haven’t changed with them.”

Hutto says she thinks Texas legislators are beginning to realize that giving nurses more leeway will help the state deal with rising health care costs.

The public health committee will use the testimony from this week to draft new bills when the legislature meets again next spring.

From the KUHF Heath and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

Texas Forest Service Launches Scientific Survey Of Drought

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:02:00 +0000

It's estimated that last year's drought killed hundreds of millions of trees in Texas. But those have just been educated guesses. Now the Texas Forest Service is starting a more scientific survey across the state.

Over the next two months, forestry crews will fan out across rural areas of the state. At 700 randomly-chosen spots, they’ll count dead trees within a 75-foot radius.

They’ll also look for diseased trees that may be dying.

Chris Brown is with Forest Service at Texas A&M:

“Tree death is a process, it doesn’t happen just at one time usually. The drought is pre-disposing a lot of the trees to other pests. So you may take a tree that survived the drought but the drought weakened it and that allowed an insect to get past the tree’s defense and infest the tree, which would then eventually kill it.”

Late last year, the Forest Service estimated that between 100 million and 500 million trees may have died in the drought.

At the low end, that’s 2 percent of the total tree cover in Texas. At the high end, that’s 10 percent of the trees.

But Brown says a true census had to wait until spring. Some trees that looked distressed last fall might have put out new leaves in the spring after all.

Brown says the survey will provide a more accurate count, and more data on where the damage was worse:

“The pines were hit very hard in areas, the water oaks we believe they were hit very hard, elms. Really all of the trees. We don’t have a good feeling for what trees were withstanding the drought well, other than the mesquite. Mesquite seems to have handled the drought very well.”

A report from this survey could be available as early as August, although forestry crews will spend years assessing the long-term effects of the drought of 2011.

Houston Opens New $17 Million Regional Health Laboratory

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:05:00 +0000

The City of Houston has moved its public health laboratory into a newly renovated building near the DeBakey Veterans Hospital. Scientists perform half a million tests in the lab every year, checking for everything from rabies to daily pollen counts.

The city’s public health laboratory is separate from its crime lab. The public health lab tests for food poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, and environmental contamination.

Dr. Vern Juchau is in charge. He says that the lab does testing for a 17-county region.

It also has a lead role in responding to bioterrorism threats or emerging infectious diseases:

“We’re frequently the first laboratory that can respond to things like the outbreaks of H1N1 influenza, the West Nile outbreak we had several years ago, the anthrax scare after 9/11, because we have a close connection to CDC.”

The laboratory was previously housed in an old building that had problems with climate control.

Shannon York is the lead microbiologist for HIV testing. She says the problems at the old building led to delays.

“Sometimes we’d have to shut down testing, wait for the temperature to come back up to levels we can test in. We had some water leaks and that make it interesting.”

The city spent $17 million to buy the building and renovate it.

Testing for public health threats costs about $2 million a year. An additional $1 million comes in the form of grants, particularly for sexually-transmitted disease tests.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

EPA Allows Change At Gas Pumps

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:42:00 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the nozzles on gasoline pumps will no longer need to have a special attachment to prevent fumes from escaping. It's still up to Texas to decide whether it's a good idea to take them off.

They're called vapor recovery systems, and they've been required at gas stations in urban areas of Texas since 1992.

They come in different shapes, but most of you would recognize one brand. It's that thick piece of black rubber tubing that makes it hard to fit the gas nozzle into the tank.

Shawn Monroe was pumping gas at a Valero off the Gulf Freeway.

She says she had no idea what it was for, until now.

“I'm ashamed to say I had no clue.”

But Nancy Gallaway came close.

“Trap air I guess? It's like an air lock for the gas?”

The rubber hose captures toxic chemicals like benzene and prevents them from going into the atmosphere and forming ozone. The technology costs about $5,000 per nozzle.

Alan Clark is director of transportation and air quality planning at the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

He says the EPA's reasoning is simple:

“They've simply created better technology to deal with the problem. And that technology is now in your vehicle as opposed to having to be in the gas pump.”

Almost all vehicles built after 2006 have equipment inside the gas tank that captures the fumes.

Clark says it's a more efficient technology.

“I think the best thing is the gas pump handles themselves will be lighter and probably easier for people to pick up and to use.”

But the EPA is leaving the final decision up to the states.

Guy Hoffman is with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He says his agency will review the proposal, but hasn't decided yet whether taking off the equipment is a good idea.

“If you just start turning these things off, then you may increase the emissions inside the area. So you may cause more pollution if you don't do it properly.”

The EPA estimates that about 70 percent of cars and trucks now have the onboard technology.

But Nancy Gallaway says that leaves 30 percent of the vehicles without it, and that's why Texas should keep the special nozzles.

“They should keep them because a lot of people they can't afford to buy new cars, and if that contributes to it, then they should keep it.”

Harris County and all seven surrounding counties still have ozone levels that exceed federal limits.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I'm Carrie Feibel.

SpaceX Launch To Space Station Delayed

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:53:00 +0000

A private spaceflight company had expected to launch a mission to the International Space Station today, but the launch has been delayed until May 19.

The much-anticipated launch will take place at Cape Canaveral in Florida, but is being handled by a private company under a NASA contract.

Kirstin Grantham is a spokeswoman for Space Exploration Technologies, also known as SpaceX.

“On the upcoming mission, we will become the first commercial company in history to attempt to send a spacecraft to the international space station.”

Previously, only the U.S., Russia, Europe and Japan had sent vehicles to the space station.

SpaceX is beginning with an unmanned cargo flight.

The rocket is called Falcon 9 and is about 18 stories high. Sitting on top is the Dragon capsule, which will return to earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

It is still highly experimental — if the capsule successfully rendez-vous with the space station and performs a series of maneuvers correctly, then NASA will allow it to actually dock and unload some cargo.

Grantham says the recent delays had to do with checking the computer software onboard the rocket.

“This launch is incredibly complicated, this mission incredibly complicated. This is only the third launch of the rocket and the second launch of the spacecraft. For the first time it’s going to spend substantial time in space, our last mission was around three hours, this mission will be over two weeks.”

Grantham says even if the Dragon capsule does not complete the docking, the company will still gain valuable knowledge to move forward and try again.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

Rice Students Invent New Air Filter For Buses

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:30:00 +0000

Some Rice University engineering students have developed a technique to sterilize the air on a bus. The invention has a lot of public health potential, and Metro is watching closely.

“So here in the back of the bus we see this bright blue glow coming out of a plastic window on the top of the bus.”

Joey Spinella, who will graduate this week, is showing me his team’s invention. It’s called “FluProof” and consists of a glowing ultraviolet lamp that bus riders can watch through a plastic window.

The lamp is smack in the middle of the bus’s air duct, so as the air passes through the UV light instantly zaps dead any bacteria or viruses.

“This could actually be something that could revolutionize air sterilization for any transit vehicle, especially in the developing world where many other people have upper respiratory diseases like tuberculosis.”

Tuberculosis is also a problem here – the CDC reports Houston had the second most reported cases in the U.S., after New York City. Although it’s never been proven that public buses transmit TB, a number of studies indicate that it does sometimes happen.

Marsha Feske is an epidemiologist who studied TB and Houston bus routes while doing research at Methodist.

“Tuberculosis, once it’s respirated, it’s negligible to gravitational forces and so it remains airborne for up to nice hours. And the problem with that is someone can get on a bus and cough and actually respirate it get it into the air to be airborne, and then it continues to float around and potentially infect whomever else is on the bus for the rest of the day. So you don’t actually have to be riding public transportation with the person who has TB, you just have to ride the bus that someone who was coughing and had TB rode.”

Buses present a special challenge when it comes to filtration. A bus’s electrical system runs on DC voltage, which means there isn’t enough power for the HEPA air filters used in buildings and on airplanes. That’s one reason METRO is interested in the FluProof lamp.

Andrew Skabowski is a senior Vice President at Metro and arranged for the students to install and test the lamps on a METRO bus:

“I think there’s a lot more to do, it’s not market ready yet, but I think they’ve done a wonderful job. They were able to deliver a system below what my cost expectations were and they were able to do some testing to show that indeed it does reduce some bacteria within the bus.”

Spinella and four other students tested the system and found it killed more than 99 percent of the bacteria circulating through a normal bus.

They claim it can be manufactured for less than $500 per unit.

They’re in the process of drafting a business plan.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

Court: TX Must Include Planned Parenthood in WHP

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Sat, 05 May 2012 12:56:00 +0000

This latest ruling means the Health and Human Services Commisssion cannot exclude Planned Parenthood clinics from the Women's Health Program while a lawsuit on the matter is pending in district court.

Updated, Friday 5:10 p.m.:

This afternoon, Texas Health and Human Services Commission Spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman confirmed that Monday’s preliminary injunction is in effect. For now, the state cannot enforce its own rules banning the Planned Parenthood affiliates from participating in the Women’s Health Program.

“We will comply with the court’s order as the case proceeds. We also will continue to work toward a state program that provides women with access to vital family planning services and complies with the law that bans abortion providers from getting those funds,” Goodman wrote in a prepared statement.

Gov. Rick Perry’s communication staff indicated he is ready to continue fighting Planned Parenthood in court. Here’s their statement:

“Today’s developments do not change our concerted effort in coordination with Attorney General Abbott to defend the will of Texans and our state law, which prohibits taxpayer funds from supporting abortion providers and affiliates in the Women’s Health Program. We are confident in the attorney general’s appeal and will continue to pursue all available legal options in this effort.”

Meanwhile, State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, praised the ruling.

"Among other reasons offered for the decision, the Fifth Circuit rejects the State's stance that the Women's Health Program will cease to operate immediately upon termination of federal funding, citing evidence indicating that such funding is continuing until November 2012. In the State's arguments, Attorney General Abbott continues to ignore the fact that abortion services and family planning services are separate as required by State law," Farrar wrote in an e-mail to the media.

According to Planned Parenthood’s attorneys, the district court will require a meeting between the plaintiffs and the on May 18 to discuss a trial date. In the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, briefs are due intermittently throughout the month, ending with arguments during the week of June 4.

Original story:

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the emergency stay it granted to the state of Texas on Tuesday, meaning that the Texas Health and Human Services Commisssion may not begin excluding Planned Parenthood clinics from the Women's Health Program while a lawsuit on the matter is pending in district court.

"This case isn't about Planned Parenthood — it's about the women who rely on Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams," Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said in a statement. "Planned Parenthood’s doors are open today and they'll be open tomorrow. We won't let politics interfere with the health care that nearly 3 million people a year rely on Planned Parenthood for in Texas and around the country."

In their order, the three appellate judges clarified that their ruling is temporary and does not guarantee that Planned Parenthood will remain in the program long-term. However, they said they "cannot conclude, on the present state of the record, that the state has shown a great likelihood, approaching a near certainty, that the district court abused its discretion in entering the injunction."

It's been a whirlwind week for the 49 Planned Parenthood clinics that participate in the Texas program — and the patients who seek treatment from them. On Monday, a district judge in Austin granted Planned Parenthood a preliminary injunction that temporarily prohibits the state from excluding them from the Women's Health Program. (Clinics affiliated with abortion providers were to be disenrolled between May 1 and May 15.) Less than 24 hours later, Attorney General Greg Abbott successfully filed an appeal in the Fifth Circuit that granted the state an emergency stay — meaning the health department could start disenrolling clinics. Now, that's on hold again.

We will update this story with further details and comment from the state.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/texas-health-resources/reproductive-health/court-tx-must-include-planned-parenthood-whp/.

Parents Of Sextuplets Share Their Story At Texas Children's

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:11:00 +0000

The Pearland couple who gave birth to sextuplets last week spoke publicly today for the first time. Lauren and David Perkins appeared at Texas Children's Hospital along with the neonatologists caring for their six babies, and they also spoke privately with KUHF Health and Science reporter Carrie Feibel.

There are three boys and three girls, all born by C-section at 30 weeks.

Dr. Charles Hankins says five of the six babies are doing really well for being 10 weeks premature – although the sickest girl, Leah, remains on a ventilator and is recovering from colon surgery.

“We have Andrew, Benjamin, Caroline, Leah, Levi, and I’m missing one!”

That one would be Allison.

Hankins says he expects the babies to remain hospitalized for at least two more months.

These are the first children for the Perkins. David is 29 and works as an IT analyst for an energy company. Lauren is 28 and worked as a school psychologist with special needs students, though now she plans to stay home.

David says he was surprised by the global attention:

“We’re just an ordinary couple entrusted by God with an extraordinary responsibility and an extraordinary blessing. I would say the emotion that we feel more than any other is gratitude. I’m thankful that Lauren was healthy going into this pregnancy, she’s a big runner, runs 40-50 miles a week, we think that contributed – was! — we know that contributed to her ability to keep the babies as long as they needed to be in there. Our original goal was to keep them in there for at least 28 weeks, and she make it to 30 weeks and one day.”

The couple conceived during their first attempt using ovulation drugs and intrauterine insemination. They knew this could increase the chance of having multiples but did not expect six.

“We were shocked. Really we just stared at the ultrasound screen.”

Lauren says it was a tough to decide whether or not to selectively reduce the number of fetuses.

“Just between the medical statistics and your emotional side where you’ve seen the six heart beats and there’s no problems with any of them or there’s problems with my health. And just really what ultimately led us to decide was just our faith. And that we would put trust in God and that he would lead us through a pregnancy and keep all of us healthy.”

David says the New Hope Church in Manvel also provided support:

“Our church pastor said ‘Don’t make the decision based on fear of lack of provisions, we’ve got your back we’re going to help you get you what you need.’ So that really helped hearing that as well.”

David says family and friends have been helping set up their home and donating hand-me-downs.

“Initially we’ll just have one room for all six. So we have three cribs and we’ll put two kids per crib. And then once they grow up we’ll just expand to two rooms and put three boys in one and three girls in another, so we’ll just learn how to adapt. We can’t prepare for anything, we’re preparing as best we can.”

Sextuplets are quite rare; there are only thought to be 180 surviving sets worldwide.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

KUHF Conversations: Dr. David Callender

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:30:00 +0000

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has just broken ground for a new hospital tower, which will feature more than 300 beds and 20 operating rooms. The new construction is part of UTMB's ongoing recovery — and growth — after Hurricane Ike in 2008. KUHF Health and Science reporter Carrie Feibel visited Galveston and talked with the president, Dr. David Callender.

Federal Judge Blocks Texas Rule Excluding Planned Parenthood

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:33:00 +0000

The latest battle between Texas officials and Planned Parenthood has concluded today with a temporary victory for Planned Parenthood in federal court.

Planned Parenthood sued Texas a few weeks ago, after Texas officials wrote a rule that locked them out of the Women’s Health Program.

The program has nothing to do with abortion, but rather draws down federal funds to help poor women get pelvic and breast exams, and birth control.

Texas said the clinics weren’t eligible because their affiliate clinics provide abortion.

But a judge said Texas has to keep sharing the money with Planned Parenthood, at least for now.

Melaney Linton is president of the Gulf Coast chapter of Planned Parenthood:

“We’re very excited that the judge ruled in our favor, we’re very excited that the judge agreed with us that politics has no place in women’s health and that the program needs to continue in its current form.”

The preliminary injunction means Planned Parenthood will keep getting some money until the entire lawsuit is heard in federal court.

But the bigger picture remains uncertain.

The feds are getting ready to withdraw the federal funds because it says Texas can’t shut out Planned Parenthood.

Governor Perry has said he’d like to continue the program at the state level, but hasn’t identified how to pay for it.

And the state health commissioner has said that if he’s forced to include Planned Parenthood, he may have to shut down the entire program for everyone.

Rochelle Tafolla of Planned Parenthood said that would be short-sighted:

“And we are really hoping, we’ve got our fingers crossed, that the state will put Texas women and their health first and put aside any vendetta that they have against PP and really continue this life saving program for the women of Texas.”

Officials with the Texas Attorney General’s Office have now said they’ll immediately appeal the ruling.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.

View Court Documents

Texans To Get $186 Million In Health Insurance Rebates

cfeibel@kuhf.org (KUHF Radio) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:17:00 +0000

Health insurance companies are getting ready to send out millions of dollars in rebate checks to their customers. Texas consumers and businesses are going to get the biggest chunk of money.

The Affordable Care Act, often called ‘Obamacare,’ requires that insurance companies spend at least 80 percent of their revenue on actual health care.

They can keep only 20 percent for profit and overhead, and in some cases only 15 percent. If they go over that, they have to refund the amount to policyholders.

The new requirement kicks in this year.

And a new analysis reveals that of all 50 states, Texas will get the most in rebates — $186 million dollars.

Greg Thompson is a spokesman for the Health Care Service Corporation, the parent company for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Texas.

“The rebate range will be anywhere from five to possibly a few hundred dollars. And it would be a one-time rebate.”

Bob Vesey is a Blue Cross customer near Fort Worth. He and his wife pay close to $800 a month for their coverage. He said even if he only gets two or three hundred dollars back, it’s the principle of the thing that counts.

“That’s money that none of us would have seen had somebody not taken a baton and did it on our behalf.”

The new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 92 percent of Texans who buy their own policies will get some sort of rebate this year.

And about a third of people who are covered by their companies will qualify for rebates, though in some situations the check will go to the company as opposed to the workers.

Still, consumer advocates say it’s a powerful regulation.

Stacey Pogue is with the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.

“I think when checks start being mailed from insurance companies to consumers instead of the other way around, this summer, that lots of Texans will be very pleasantly surprised that they’re getting money back from their insurers because of the Affordable Care Act.”

If the Supreme Court does not strike down the Affordable Care Act, rebates will continue to be sent out once a year, as needed.

From the KUHF Health and Science Desk, I’m Carrie Feibel.