Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks made their fortune in the oil business. They’ve deployed millions of dollars to pull the Texas GOP and Legislature toward their hardline stances.
Dan Keemahill
Dan Keemahill gathers and analyzes data on health outcomes and access in Texas. A native of Sacramento, Dan is a graduate of Northwestern University and started his journalism career as a contributor to the Tribune's schools and government salaries explorers. He previously covered public education for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative unit and worked with datasets related to immigrant detention centers, elections and the COVID-19 pandemic at USA Today.
Posted in
Health care
“Don’t take me to the hospital”: Undocumented immigrants in Texas are delaying medical care
Since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas hospitals to start asking patients for their citizenship status in November 2024, reported visits by undocumented immigrants have dropped.
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Health care
Measles spike in federal detention facility reaches the Texas public, records show
Most of the state’s measles cases reported so far this year are inside the West Texas Detention Facility in Hudspeth County, where four infected El Paso residents worked.
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Health care
147 measles cases reported in Texas so far this year, most of them in federal detention centers
Local officials report that 108 of the cases originated in a contracted detention facility in Hudspeth County.
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Health care
What Texans need to know about upcoming SNAP restrictions
Starting April 1, Texans will no longer be allowed to use food stamps to buy sweetened beverages and candy.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Texas Senate candidate says “no strings attached” to $2 million donation from businessman
Rhonda Ward, a first-time candidate for elected office who previously served on the state GOP’s policy committee, is challenging Trent Ashby for the East Texas seat.
Posted in
Texas measles outbreak
Blamed for the nation’s historic measles outbreak, West Texas Mennonites have hardened their views on vaccines
Months after public health officials say they caused the nation’s largest measles surge in 30 years, some West Texas Mennonites have grown more skeptical of the mainstream medical system.
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Health care
Texas to receive $281 million in federal funds for rural health care
Texas will get the biggest portion of the first rollout of the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, which was created in tandem with legislation slashing Medicaid funding.
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Health care
The Rio Grande Valley among Texas regions most impacted by expiring health insurance subsidies
In the Rio Grande Valley, 98% of ACA enrollees received an advanced premium tax credit that lowered their monthly payments. Those subsidies will decrease Jan. 1.
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Health care
Older Texans among those facing the largest price hikes for Affordable Care Act insurance
About 1 million Texans with ACA health plans are over the age of 45, and many of them will pay monthly premiums that are more than $1,000.