TexHealth

09/04/2026

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08/31/2026

A decline in substance and alcohol use disorders is good news. But this data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health raises a bigger question: Are we making it easier for people to get help when they need it?

New research points to a decline in substance use disorders among teens and young adults. Yet a significant treatment gap remains, with many people who could benefit from care still not receiving it.

According to the NSDUH, the most common reason for not seeking treatment was the belief that individuals could handle their substance use on their own. But those individual beliefs exist within a broader web of structural and cultural factors that can stigmatize substance use and create barriers to treatment.

Health outcomes don’t improve simply because effective treatments exist. People need to be able to find care, afford it, access a provider, and navigate the system. They also need the support and resources to take that first step toward seeking help.

As the health care industry continues to focus on prevention and early intervention, we should also be asking whether our coverage systems are keeping pace, and whether they are addressing the barriers that keep people from seeking care in the first place.

A worthwhile conversation for employers, health plans, and policymakers alike.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/substance-use-disorders-decline-treatment-gap-persists-2026a1000rdx?form=fpf

Substance use and related disorders declined among teens and young adults, but millions of Americans with addiction still go untreated, new national survey data show.

08/27/2026

GLP-1 Coverage Is Expanding, But Access Is About More Than Cost
Medicare’s new GLP-1 Bridge program is giving eligible beneficiaries access to certain weight-loss medications for $50 a month. Early reports, however, suggest that making coverage available doesn’t necessarily mean making access easy.

Healthcare Brew’s early look at the rollout highlights a familiar challenge in health care: coverage, affordability, and access are three different things. Providers and pharmacies are reporting confusion, administrative burdens, and uneven readiness, even as CMS reports thousands of beneficiaries have already accessed treatment.

As GLP-1 coverage continues to evolve, employers, insurers, and policymakers will need to look beyond the price of the medication and consider the full picture:

What does sustainable, affordable access actually look like for patients and the organizations serving them?

Those questions are central to building a health care system that balances affordability with quality and access.

https://www.healthcare-brew.com/stories/an-early-look-into-the-rollout-of-medicares-pilot-program-for-glp-1s

Medicare began covering GLP-1s for obesity on July 1.

08/25/2026

After his mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Jeremy Gurewitz saw firsthand how overwhelming healthcare navigation can be, even for someone with a medical background.

That experience inspired him to build Solace, a company that is connecting patients with advocates who help them navigate appointments, insurance, records, and everything in between.
It’s a powerful reminder that simply having health insurance isn't always the same as navigating healthcare. Healthcare can be confusing enough for someone who is well, but for a patient who is sick, managing between departments and doctors is more confusing and emotionally taxing than it has to be.

At TexHealth, we believe affordability and access go hand in hand. Helping people get covered is important, but helping them actually use and understand their coverage matters, too.
Read the full story from Founder Brew: https://www.founderbrew.com/stories/moms-cancer-diagnosis-jeremy-gurewitz-built-solace-to-help-patients

Solace cofounder Jeremy Gurewitz shares how a family health crisis inspired him to build patient advocacy into a service.

08/20/2026

Are ICHRAs being oversold?
That's a question worth asking.
ICHRAs offer employers one clear advantage: predictable costs. Instead of contributing a percentage of an ever-increasing premium, an employer can establish a defined contribution.

But that predictability can come with tradeoffs.

If premiums rise faster than the employer contribution, employees may absorb more of the increase. And while an individual policy may be technically portable, portability has limited value if the coverage becomes unaffordable without a paycheck.

The conversation around ICHRAs often focuses on employer flexibility and employee choice. We think there's another question that deserves equal attention:
Who carries the financial risk over time?

At TexHealth, we believe employers shouldn't have to choose between affordability and quality group health coverage.

We're interested in hearing from brokers, employers, and benefits professionals: What are you seeing in the real world with ICHRAs?

08/18/2026

The 15% Premium Increase Is Only Part of the Story: Are We Heading Toward an Insurance Death Spiral?
The headlines are focusing on insurers requesting 15% premium increases for 2027, but the real story is what is happening beneath the surface.

One of the biggest drivers is medical trend—the steady increase in the cost of providing healthcare. Hospital prices, physician reimbursement, specialty drugs, GLP-1 medications, labor shortages, physician and facility consolidation, private equity, and more expensive claims are all pushing healthcare costs higher.

But there is another problem that receives far less attention.
When premiums rise, the healthiest members are often the first to ask, "Can I afford to keep this coverage?" Many decide to drop it.

The people who remain are more likely to have chronic illnesses, expensive medications, or ongoing medical conditions so they need the coverage the most.
That means the average cost of covering each remaining member increases. Medical Loss Ratios (MLRs) climb. Insurers then have little choice but to request higher premiums to cover those costs. Those higher premiums cause another wave of healthier people to leave.

It's a vicious cycle.

This phenomenon, often called an insurance death spiral, has contributed to the collapse of many health plan products over the years. Once a risk pool becomes disproportionately unhealthy, premiums accelerate, enrollment declines, and the product becomes increasingly difficult to sustain. And its not just happening in the individual ACA market, it’s also happening in the small group market.

If we want affordable health insurance, we must do more than debate premium increases. We must address the underlying drivers of medical trend and create markets that encourage healthy individuals to remain insured.
Otherwise, we'll continue treating the symptom while the disease gets worse.

https://www.beckerspayer.com/payer/aca/aca-premiums-could-jump-14-in-2027-7-things-to-know/

ACA insurers are pitching a median rate increase of 15% for 2027, the second year in a row of double-digit premium hikes, according to a July 8 Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker analysis that was updated Aug. 3. The tracker reviewed 276 insurers in marketplaces across the country with publicly file...

08/14/2026

Women make up more than half of the U.S. population yet significant gaps remain in how women’s health is researched, understood, and treated.

A new framework from leading women’s health organizations is calling for a $20 billion investment over 10 years to strengthen women’s health research, improve access to evidence-based care, expand the healthcare workforce, and build better health data systems.

A major challenge in healthcare is that we cannot provide truly personalized care without truly representative research. Women can experience different symptoms, treatment responses, and medication effects than men, yet research gaps have left providers working with incomplete information. Investing in women’s health research means building the evidence needed for better decisions and better outcomes.

Closing health gaps requires more than new treatments, it requires better information, stronger healthcare systems, and continued investment in the people and resources that make quality care possible.

At TexHealth, we believe healthier communities start with improving access to the care people need throughout every stage of life.

ACOG and other medical societies revealed a framework urging Congress to invest $20 billion over 10 years to “to transform women’s health research, care and outcomes,” the organization announced.“Now that we’ve unveiled the framework, the real work begins to make it a r...

08/13/2026

A good night’s sleep is essential for physical health, mental wellbeing, and daily performance. Rising nighttime temperatures are making quality sleep harder to achieve.

A recent NPR report highlights research showing that hotter nights linked to climate change are reducing sleep around the world. The study found that people lose an average of up to 56 hours of sleep each year due to uncomfortable nighttime heat, with climate change contributing to a growing share of that loss.

Sleep is already a precious commodity that most of us tend to not get enough of. Climate change has been linked to a lot of shifts affecting our daily life, but this is the first time we've heard it linked to sleep. What do you think?

A new study finds that hotter nights caused by human-driven climate change are eating away at hours of sleep every year.

08/11/2026

What if a routine mammogram could identify breast cancer risk years before cancer is detectable?

Researchers are developing AI tools that can identify subtle patterns in mammograms that may signal breast cancer risk years before it becomes visible through traditional screening. While this technology isn't yet ready for widespread use, it highlights how AI could strengthen early detection and give patients and providers more time to act.
Like many healthcare innovations, the challenge isn't just developing the technology, but thoughtfully integrating it into clinical care in a realistic and accessible way.

It's an exciting look at where preventive healthcare may be headed, and one we'll be watching closely.

An AI risk detection tool analyzes mammogram images with the goal of predicting cancer before it happens, or finding cancer before it spreads, so patients can live longer, healthier lives

08/07/2026

Mental health and substance use are deeply connected to overall health and recent data shows both progress and continued challenges.

A new report highlighted by the Associated Press found encouraging trends among young people, including declines in several measures of substance use and improvements in some mental health indicators. However, millions of people continue to experience mental health and substance use challenges, and many who need treatment still face barriers to getting the support they need.

These findings are a reminder that healthcare is about more than treating illness after it occurs. Prevention, early intervention, and access to appropriate care all play an important role in building healthier communities.

A key U.S. government report on mental health, substance use and addiction shows continued improvements in several metrics, especially among young people.