Indivisible Healthcare Fort Worth

28/08/2025

“The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several top officials are departing in a massive shake-up at the embattled agency.

“Susan Monarez, the CDC director, was fired just shy of a month into her role. At least four other officials have also submitted their resignations.

“‘Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,’ a post on the Department of Health and Human Services' X account said Wednesday. ‘We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.’

“The post went on to say Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has full confidence that the CDC ‘who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.’

“Four other longtime top CDC officials submitted their resignations, according to letters reviewed by NBC News: Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC's chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Jen Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology.”

The ouster comes at a tumultuous time for the embattled health agency. Other top officials also submitted their resignations Wednesday.

27/08/2025

“The CMS rule finalized in June significantly shrunk sign-up windows and heightened eligibility verification for ACA plans. Regulators said the changes were necessary to crack down on fraud and abuse in the ACA exchanges, a key priority for conservatives. However, health policy experts and patient advocates slammed the rule as overly aggressive, and said it appeared aimed at shrinking the size of the exchanges, not targeting fraud.

“In early July, nonprofit Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit challenging the rule on behalf of three cities — Chicago, Baltimore and Columbus —, the physician advocacy organization Doctors For America and small business lobbying group Main Street Alliance.

“The suit argues that the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedures Act in issuing the rule, and that they would shoulder higher costs and see their members lose coverage if it goes into effect.

“On Friday, Maryland Judge Brendan Hurson granted the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction while the case advances, determining that they are likely to succeed in the suit.

“Hurson stayed seven of the rule’s most consequential provisions, including the creation of a $5 premium penalty for individuals who automatically reenroll in coverage and a policy disqualifying people who fail to reconcile tax credits with their income from receiving subsidies.

“The judge also paused the elimination of guaranteed coverage for people who are overdue to pay their premiums; the imposition of higher income verification standards if exchanges find inconsistencies in tax data; and a policy requiring stricter eligibility checks ahead of a special enrollment period.

“Changes to a formula used to sort ACA plans into different coverage tiers were also put on pause.”

A Maryland district judge has paused heightened standards for people verifying their eligibility for subsidies and other key elements of a controversial final rule from July.

27/08/2025

“As congressional Republicans debate this fall whether to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies, they need look no further than Florida to gauge the potential midterm election fallout for the party.

“The red state has the highest number of Obamacare enrollees in the country, and millions of low- and middle-income residents have used the subsidies to afford health coverage since their creation in 2021. Florida, an epicenter of the MAGA movement, also has a disproportionately large number of small business owners and employees who are heavily dependent on the tax credits.

“Not a single Republican voted in favor of creating the subsidies when then-President Joe Biden pushed them through, but the reliance of Sunshine State residents on them could give GOP representatives and senators cause to change their minds. Insurers, hospitals and business groups are mobilizing to push them on the issue. Polls show voters are likely to react poorly to skyrocketing insurance premiums, especially when combined with cuts to Medicaid and the ACA that Republicans enacted this summer…

“Republicans in the most competitive districts nationally are already down three percentage points among all registered voters, according to a July survey from Trump pollster Fabrizio Ward. That deficit balloons to 15 points if the candidate lets the boosted tax credits expire.”

As an epicenter of small business growth and the MAGA movement, Florida offers a glimpse into the potential political fallout

26/08/2025

“Between 2023 and 2024, infant mortality rates worsened in 24 states, including Arkansas and Louisiana, Warren says. ‘This is reflective of a large trend.’

“These states had already been struggling with maternal and infant heath, but outside factors are likely worsening these outcomes. Many rural counties have lost ob-gyns or hospital maternity services in recent years, so women have to travel further for prenatal and maternity care. More than half of counties in Mississippi and one-third of counties in the U.S. are considered maternity-care deserts, which means they have no hospitals providing obstetric care, no ob-gyns, and no certified nurse midwives.

“In Mississippi and in the South, ob-gyns are leaving because of low Medicaid and private insurance compensation rates that make it difficult to keep a practice open. Practices that remain open are often short-staffed, and providers sometimes burn out after being on a 24/7 call schedule. As a result, women having emergencies during childbirth may not be able to get to a doctor in time.

“Mississippi and many other states in the South have also not expanded Medicaid, meaning women may be going into pregnancy less healthy than they would if they had more access to health care. If women do not have health insurance, they may not be visiting a doctor regularly to control chronic conditions like obesity or diabetes. One of the big factors leading to more infant deaths, Warren says, is that many are born premature, and much of prematurity is driven by a mom’s health before she even becomes pregnant.”

The highest infant mortality rate in a decade has spurred the state to declare a crisis.

23/08/2025

Here’s what Medicare is emailing its enrollees now…

22/08/2025

Obamacare enemy becomes chief judge…

“District Judge Reed Charles O’Connor became the chief judge for the Northern District of Texas on Aug. 18, making him the first Fort Worth-based judge to hold that position since 1972.”

Reed Charles O’Connor is the first federal judge from Fort Worth to become chief judge for the U.S. Northern District since 1972.

14/08/2025

Drawn to Power: Redistricting & Gerrymandering in Texas
📅 Thursday, August 28, 2025
🕡 6:30 – 8:00 pm CT
💻 Virtual (Zoom link provided after registration)
🔗 RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisiblefortbendcounty/event/828200/

With mid‑decade redistricting underway in Texas, many neighbors are asking what this means for their communities. This 90‑minute session is built for people who want a clear, easy‑to‑follow overview—no prior knowledge assumed, no jargon, and fully compliant with 501(c)(3) non‑partisanship.

What we’ll cover (high level):

Redistricting 101: who draws the maps in Texas and when

What “gerrymandering” means (partisan & racial) and why it matters

Real Texas examples to make the concepts concrete

Practical, non‑partisan ways Texans can plug in for fair maps

30‑minute Q&A

How you can help

Share the event with your members (blurb + social copy below).

Bring a buddy: encourage leaders to invite one new person from their community.

Optional: if you’d like to be listed as a supporting host, reply and we’ll add your group name to the event page.

# How do political maps get drawn in Texas—and why does it feel like your vote doesn’t always count? # # 📣Join us for Drawn to Power, a 90-minute virtual workshop hosted by Indivisible Fort Bend County. With mid-decade redistricting currently underway in Texas, it’s more important than ever ...

11/08/2025

“Amid the challenges of adulthood, there is one rite of passage unique to the United States: the need to find your own health insurance by the time you turn 26.

“That is the age at which the Affordable Care Act declares that young adults generally have to get off their family’s plan and figure out their own coverage themselves.

“When the A.C.A. was voted into law in 2010, its so-called dependent coverage expansion was immediately effective, guaranteeing health insurance to millions of young Americans up to age 26 who would otherwise have not had coverage.

“But for years, Republicans have whittled away at the infrastructure of the original law. Long gone is the requirement to buy insurance. Plans sold in the online insurance marketplaces have no stringent quality standards. Costs keep rising, and eligibility requirements and subsidies are a moving target.

“The erosion of the law has now created an ‘insurance cliff’ for Americans who are turning 26 and don’t have a job that provides medical coverage.

“Some, scared off by the complexity of picking a policy and by the price tags, tumble over the edge and go without insurance, in a health system where the rate for an emergency room visit can be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars.

“Today, an estimated 15 percent of 26-year-olds go uninsured, which, according to an analysis by the health research group KFF, is the highest rate among Americans of any age.

“If they qualify, young adults can sign up for Medicaid, the federal and state program for low-income Americans, in most but not all states.

“But many buy cheap subpar insurance that leaves them with insurmountable debt following a medical crisis. Others choose plans with extremely limited networks, losing access to their longtime doctors and medicines.

“Often they find those policies online, in what has become a dizzyingly complicated system of government-regulated insurance marketplaces. They vary in quality from state to state; some are far better than others.

“But they generally offer few easily identifiable, affordable and workable choices.

“‘The good news is that the A.C.A. gave young people more options,’ said Karen Pollitz, who directed consumer information and insurance oversight at the Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration.

“‘The bad news is the good stuff is hidden in a minefield of really bad options that’ll leave you broke if you get sick.’”

Young adults without jobs that provide insurance find that their options are limited and expensive. The problem is about to get worse.

08/08/2025

“The Trump administration’s plans to incinerate $9.7 million in birth control pills and other contraceptives stored in a Belgian warehouse have left European governments struggling as they try to prevent the destruction.

“When the Trump administration abruptly defunded and dismantled the United States Agency for International Development, or U.S.A.I.D., earlier this year, millions of contraceptives it had purchased were stuck in Geel, Belgium. The pills, intrauterine devices and hormonal implants were destined for clinics in the poorest countries in Africa.

“With the contraceptives in limbo, the contractor managing the supply explored selling it to outside organizations, including the United Nations’ main sexual and reproductive health agency, the U.N. Population Fund. The nonprofit MSI Reproductive Choices offered to take over the warehousing and redistribute the contraceptives at no cost to the United States.

“But last month it emerged that the U.S. government had instead decided to burn the supplies, at a cost to the government of more than $160,000 in transport and incineration fees.

“‘U.S.A.I.D. was allegedly dismantled to prevent future wastage and to deliver value for money for the American people,’ said Sarah Shaw, the associate director of advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices. ‘It’s just egregious that they’re willing to waste $9 million worth of contraceptives that are so desperately needed.’

“She added, ‘Women are going to die because they’ve not had access to those contraceptives.’”

The U.S. government intends to incinerate $9.7 million in already-purchased birth control in Belgium after U.S.A.I.D shut down. Destruction may have already started.

08/08/2025

“Even before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office in February as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, some public health experts worried he might use his influence to carry out an anti-vaccine agenda he’d spent decades promoting.

“In the worst-case scenario, they said, he might dismiss experts on whom the government relies to make sound decisions about immunizations and enact policies restricting access. He might cancel important research that would be needed in a future pandemic.

“In less than six months, Mr. Kennedy has done all that and more.

“The health secretary has expressed doubts about childhood vaccines, including those against polio and measles, that have been the mainstay of childhood immunizations for decades. He has described the Covid shot as ‘the deadliest vaccine ever made.’

“Under his leadership, the Food and Drug Administration restricted access to the Covid vaccines for healthy pregnant women and children. And on Tuesday, he canceled nearly $500 million of grants and contracts for work on mRNA vaccines, the technology that helped turn the tide against the coronavirus.

“Mr. Kennedy explained his decision in a video on social media, claiming falsely that mRNA vaccines offer no protection against respiratory viruses and can prolong pandemics.

“Most scientists were aghast. His assault on mRNA vaccines, and in particular the Covid vaccines developed in the first Trump administration, may have even riled the president.

“‘Operation Warp Speed was, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, considered one of the most incredible things ever done in this country,’ President Trump said at a news briefing on Wednesday in response to a question about mRNA vaccines.

“He added that he had scheduled a meeting with Mr. Kennedy on Thursday to discuss the cancellations.”

While many officials and scientists embrace other parts of the secretary’s agenda, his stance on vaccines is alienating allies who fear a public health crisis.

06/08/2025

“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Tuesday that it will start winding down mRNA vaccine development efforts under a federal health agency focused on developing medical countermeasures to address public health emergencies.

“mRNA vaccines have been credited by public health experts with saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many infectious disease experts have stressed that years of research have shown the shots are both safe and effective. But HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic, claimed in a statement accompanying HHS’s announcement that ‘data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.’”

The move will impact 22 projects worth a total of nearly $500 million.

26/07/2025

Tarrant County Town Hall With Beto O'Rourke
Town Hall

Saturday, August 9
3 – 5pm CDT

Ridglea Theater
6025 Camp Bowie Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76116

About this event

Big news! Beto O’Rourke is coming to Tarrant County for a town hall about state and federal issues on Saturday, August 9th at 3:00 PM CDT.

Doors open at 2:30PM CDT. Event begins promptly at 3:00PM CDT.

If you need accommodations, please email us at Info@poweredxpeople.org

Please make sure to register for this event. Everyone is welcome to join!

Big news! Beto O’Rourke is coming to Tarrant County for a town hall about state and federal issues on Saturday, August 9th at 3:00 PM CDT. Doors open at 2:30PM CDT. Event begins promptly at 3:00PM CDT. If you need accommodations, please email us at Info@poweredxpeople.org Please make sure to regis...