Donate
Issues

Health & Medical Freedoms

Empowering Texas Patients

A Healthier Future

Texans value personal freedoms, and Speaker Burrows led the House in giving Texans more control over their healthcare decisions and greater access to affordable, quality care.

The Texas House strengthened rural healthcare, supported groundbreaking medical research, promoted healthier lifestyles and increased access to important treatments and services across the state. These reforms are improving lives today while helping build a healthier future for Texas.

Health Investments

Freedom. Access. Research. Better Care.

For wage increases supporting personal care attendants.
$ 0 B
For new mental health beds across Texas.
$ 0 M
For women’s health programs.
$ 0 M
For rural healthcare programs and new ambulances.
$ 0 M +

Medical Freedom & Patient Rights

Texans should be free to make their own healthcare decisions, access accurate information and direct the care of their families without unnecessary government interference.

During the 89th Legislative Session, the Texas House passed major medical freedom reforms to protect medical freedom and empower patients and families.

  • Expanded access to ivermectin by allowing pharmacists to dispense it without a prescription, giving Texans greater control over their healthcare (HB 25 - 89th Legislature, Second Special Session)
  • Prohibited patients from being denied an organ transplant solely because of their vaccine status (HB 4076)
  • Required written informed consent before a COVID-19 vaccine can be administered (HB 4535)
  • Simplified the process for Texans opting out of vaccines, giving families greater control over their healthcare decisions (HB 1586)
  • Protected parental rights by ensuring parents do not lose custody of their children because of their medical treatment decisions (HB 1151)
  • Held vaccine manufacturers accountable by allowing them to be held liable if a vaccine they advertise causes harm (HB 3441)
  • Required physicians to report adverse vaccine events, strengthening transparency and patient safety (SB 269)
  • Ensured medical records reflect biological reality by requiring healthcare providers to record a patient’s sex as male or female (SB 1188)

Transparency & Consumer Protection

From healthcare costs to food labeling, the Texas House empowered Texans with the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families.
  • Gave patients more information about the cost of their care by requiring clear price estimates and billing details before a medical procedure (HB 1314)
  • Delivered the “Make Texas Healthy Again” package of reforms to promote healthier lifestyles through more physical education, better nutrition information, clearer food labeling requirements and restrictions on certain chemical additives in food (SB 25)
  • Supported healthier lifestyles for Medicaid patients through nutrition-focused programs, improving health outcomes while reducing future costs for taxpayers (HB 26)
  • Strengthened patient rights by requiring healthcare providers to clearly explain how patients can obtain their medical records and file complaints (HB 4224)
  • Modernized Texas cottage food laws to expand opportunities for home-based businesses while maintaining basic food safety standards (SB 541)
  • Prohibited SNAP benefits from being used to purchase soda, candy and other unhealthy foods, helping encourage healthier choices and responsible use of taxpayer dollars (SB 379)

Expanding Access to Care

Every Texan deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live.

During the 89th Legislative Session, the Texas House strengthened rural healthcare, expanded mental health services, supported vulnerable Texans and improved access to care across the state.

  • Created a comprehensive plan to strengthen and modernize rural healthcare, helping hospitals stay open, expanding access to mental health services and ensuring rural communities have reliable care for years to come (HB 18)
  • Delivered strategic state funding to expand medical care and support Texas families, including:
  • $1 billion in wage increases for personal care attendants
  • $340 million for new mental health beds
  • $54 million for youth crisis outreach team for counseling services
  • $267 million for women’s health programs
  • $200 million for Thriving Texas Families, promoting healthy pregnancies, childbirth and parenting
  • More than $125 million for rural healthcare programs and grants for new ambulances
  • $161 million to keep foster kids closer to home with Community-Based Care (SB 1)

Medical Research & Innovation

Texas is investing in groundbreaking discoveries, expanding treatment options and supporting the next generation of medical breakthroughs.

  • Established the Dementia Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) to make our state a leader in the fight against dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative neurological disorders (SB 5)
  • Launched a grant program to study the therapeutic potential of ibogaine with the goal of obtaining FDA approval to treat opioid addiction, PTSD and other mental health conditions (SB 2308)
  • Created a “Right to Try” pathway that allows patients with serious illnesses to pursue certain experimental treatments when other options have been exhausted (SB 984)
  • Secured major investments for the Texas Tech University System to expand access to care, advance medical research and strengthen Texas’ healthcare workforce, including:
  • $25 million for the Rural Cancer Collaborative to expand access to cancer care across rural Texas
  • $15 million for the Health Science Center’s mission of research, rural healthcare and healthcare workforce development
  • $6 million for dental care education at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in El Paso
  • $65 million for Phase II of the Texas Tech University Comprehensive Oncology Center in El Paso

Focused on a Healthy Future

The work to improve healthcare and protect medical freedom in Texas continues. Under Speaker Burrows’ leadership, House committees are monitoring the implementation of major reforms passed during the 89th Legislative Session, including rural healthcare initiatives, nutrition and wellness programs, mental health services and medical research efforts.

Lawmakers are also studying ways to strengthen the healthcare workforce, improve services for children and families, support Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and ensure taxpayer-funded programs operate efficiently and transparently.

Speaker Burrows created the new House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability to examine the factors driving up health care costs and identify ways to improve affordability and access for all Texans.

From pioneering medical research to expanding access to affordable care and empowering patients, Texas is shaping the future of healthcare.