More than half a dozen health plans are appealing the contract decisions for STAR+PLUS, the state’s privatized insurance program for elderly, blind and disabled Texans. The state of Texas is trying to give away a business opportunity valued at roughly $10 billion. To win, all an applicant has to do is score highly on something […]
Category: News
Texas improperly picked winners for contracts worth $10 billion, health insurers argue%3$s>
Lawmakers question $295M emergency deal to expand Texas contact tracing network%3$s>
By Rachael Tison 1 on Lawmakers question $295M emergency deal to expand Texas contact tracing network
Texas lawmakers are questioning the hastily-awarded, multi-million dollar contract that put a little-known company in charge of the state’s effort to track down people who may be infected with the coronavirus. Hearst Newspapers reported last weekend that Texas will give MTX Group up to $295 million over a 27-month period to hire contact tracers and […]
As COVID cases exploded, workers on Texas’ $295 million contact tracing deal did little to no work%3$s>
By Rachael Tison 62 on As COVID cases exploded, workers on Texas’ $295 million contact tracing deal did little to no work
AUSTIN — Just as coronavirus infections began rising a few weeks ago in Texas, contract workers hired by the state to track down exposed Texans were spending hours doing little or no work, received confusing or erroneous instructions and often could not give people the advice they expected, interviews and records indicate. Health authorities around […]
Texas health agency cancels contract procurements after problems identified%3$s>
Texas Health and Human Services Commission officials announced Monday that they have canceled three solicitations for contracts after finding problems with almost two dozen bids. Monday’s revelation is the latest in a series of contract woes that have beset the agency, which has led to several high-profile departures this year. The latest contracts would have […]
Big contracts, big data, big dollars and a big mess%3$s>
Over the past decade, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission has bungled several major contracts that totaled nearly $2 billion, and despite public blowups and calls for reform, problems persist in part because of a lack of accountability in Texas’ fragmented purchasing system. The massive health agency’s problems extend well beyond the unfolding 21CT […]
Senators Grill Agency Head Over Contracting Scandal%3$s>
Senate budget writers on Tuesday described the state’s growing contracting scandal as “embarrassing” and “out of control” while the head of an agency at the center of the scandal defended its procurement policies. The state Senate’s budget writers on Tuesday grilled the head of one of the state agencies at the center of a growing […]
Second HHSC Contract Scrapped Amid Questions About Open Bidding%3$s>
The Health and Human Services Commission has canceled a second contract involving Jack Stick, who resigned as the agency’s top lawyer amid concerns over a $110 million contract that was not competitively bid. Nine months before Jack Stick resigned as the top lawyer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission amid concerns over a […]