Merrill Davis, Vice President of Communications
Enrollment in Texas public schools in the current school year (SY 25-26) dipped below 5.5 million students, representing a 1.4% decline in enrollment from the previous school year. This marks the first year-over-year enrollment decline since SY 20–21, when enrollment fell 2.2% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The SY 25-26 decrease is the second-largest drop in…
Travis County is staring down a projected $13 million budget shortfall, and the primary driver is not a new project or an unexpected emergency. It is health insurance. Last year, the county spent $2.6 million on health insurance premiums for its employees. This year, health care is estimated to cost somewhere between $14 million and…
While Texas is home to some of the largest cities in the country, it is also home to a large rural population. Over 4.2 million Texans live in rural areas — more than live in many other states. For these Texas families, health care can look dramatically different than it does for their urban counterparts….
For many Texas families, a routine doctor’s visit can lead to a startling discovery in the mailbox. When hospitals acquire physician practices, it may allow them to charge a new, separate facility fee alongside the professional fee for the physician’s services. These additional fees have tangible consequences for Texas families. In one instance, a routine…
For many Texas households, the state’s economic growth is being tempered by the rising price of health care. Recent longitudinal polling and market data indicate that health care affordability has transitioned from a secondary issue to the primary financial anxiety for a majority of the state and national population. According to the December 2025 Texas…
Final open enrollment figures show that close to 4.2 million Texans enrolled in an Affordable Care Act (ACA) plan for 2026. That total exceeds Texas’ 2025 enrollment of just under 4 million and represents an increase of more than 200,000 enrollees year-over-year. In a year defined by contraction elsewhere, Texas posted the largest numerical gain…