https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/neelam-bohra/The latest news by Neelam Bohra.enThu, 14 Dec 2023 17:11:36 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/texas-medicaid-unwinding/Texas has booted the most people from Medicaid of any state in the country. A majority of those removed lost their health insurance coverage because of procedural reasons.Neelam BohraThu, 14 Dec 2023 17:11:36 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/texas-medicaid-unwinding/Dr. Rose Okoro, a nurse practitioner, who owns Daystar Family Clinic in Katy, is shown on May 12. 2014. She says she has struggled to treat a greater number of Medicaid patients because of state regulations.Dr. Rose Okoro, a nurse practitioner, who owns Daystar Family Clinic in Katy, is shown on May 12. 2014. She says she has struggled to treat a greater number of Medicaid patients because of state regulations.Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-emergency-abortion-lawsuit/Kate Cox, 31, at 20 weeks pregnant, has learned her fetus has a lethal abnormality that is almost always fatal at birth.Eleanor Klibanoff and Neelam BohraThu, 07 Dec 2023 10:06:28 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-emergency-abortion-lawsuit/Kate Cox of Dallas is asking a Travis Co. district judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the state abortion ban so she can terminate her pregnancy.Kate Cox of Dallas is asking a Travis Co. district judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the state abortion ban so she can terminate her pregnancy.Courtesy of Kate Coxhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-medicaid-thymus-transplant/Gabe Nolasco was born without a vital immune system gland. His family spent years in quarantines and advocating to state insurance so they could keep him alive.Neelam BohraThu, 07 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-medicaid-thymus-transplant/Gabe Nolasco makes a spider web gesture, mimicking his favorite superhero, Spider-Man. In his left hand, he holds onto Thymie, an orange plush thymus, in the yard in front of the Ronald McDonald House at Cook's Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth on Dec. 2, 2023. Gabe Nolasco, 4, is currently recovering from a thymus transplant as treatment for his congenital athymia.Gabe Nolasco makes a spider web gesture, mimicking his favorite superhero, Spider-Man. In his left hand, he holds onto Thymie, an orange plush thymus, in the yard in front of the Ronald McDonald House at Cook's Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas on Dec. 2, 2023. Gabe Nolasco, 4, is currently recovering from a thymus transplant as treatment for his congenital athymia.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/13/texas-disabled-covid-vaccine-ban/The ban applies to all private businesses, including health care facilities like hospitals, which can jeopardize the health of those with compromised immune systems or other underlying conditions.Neelam BohraMon, 13 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/13/texas-disabled-covid-vaccine-ban/Alice Barton looks through a rack of homemade masks in her South Austin home on Nov. 10, 2023. A bill signed on Friday, which bans vaccine requirements on all private businesses, could risk the health of groups like organ transplant recipients, cancer patients and those with underlying conditions as common as severe asthmaAlice Barton looks through a rack of homemade masks in her South Austin home on Nov. 10, 2023. Barton, a retired physician, continues to take COVID precautions such as masking.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-school-vouchers-disabled-students/The few private schools that offer special education for disabled students have strict conditions and are clustered in metropolitan areas.Neelam BohraThu, 26 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-school-vouchers-disabled-students/Two window decals are shown on van on Sep. 9, 2023. The stickers reference the occupant’s wheelchair.Two window decals are shown on Laurie Sharp's van on Sep. 9, 2023. The stickers reference Logan's wheelchair.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/12/texas-long-covid/Long COVID clinics in Texas are few and far between, often with months-long waitlists. But these centers can provide care that validates stigmatized patients, offers unique treatments and teaches physicians more about the new condition.Neelam BohraThu, 12 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/12/texas-long-covid/Health care workers wheel portable oxygen tanks to patients in the COVID care unit of Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 19, 2021.Healthcare workers wheel portable oxygen tanks to patients in the COVID care unit of Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 19, 2021.Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/28/texas-hhsc-medicaid/Texas Democrats in Congress are urging the federal government to audit the state’s Medicaid eligibility systemNeelam BohraThu, 28 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/28/texas-hhsc-medicaid/Yesenia Alvarado holds her daughter, Medicaid patient Melanie Almaraz, 2, while waiting to see Dr. Alberto Vasquez for treatment of a fever at Su Clinica Familiar in Harlingen, Texas on Jul. 9, 2013. (Yesenia Alvarado holds her daughter, Medicaid patient Melanie Almaraz, 2, while waiting to see Dr. Alberto Vasquez for treatment of a fever at Su Clinica Familiar in Harlingen, Texas on Jul. 9, 2013.Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/20/texas-accessible-disabled-parking/How have new laws changed accessible parking? How are violations enforced? Here’s what you need to know about parking for people with disabilities.Neelam BohraWed, 20 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/20/texas-accessible-disabled-parking/A car with a disabled veteran license plate sits parked in a disabled parking zone outside the Capitol Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 in Austin.A car with a disabled veteran license plate sits parked in a disabled parking zone outside the Capitol Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 in Austin.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/16/ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-senate-votes/Democrats, however, said their GOP colleagues “caved” to outside pressure in voting to acquit and return Ken Paxton to his job as attorney general.Kate McGee and Neelam BohraSat, 16 Sep 2023 16:50:04 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/16/ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-senate-votes/State senators file into the Texas Senate to cast their votes on the articles of impeachment on Sept. 16, 2023.State senators file into the Texas Senate to cast their votes on the articles of impeachment on Sept. 16, 2023.Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/11/texas-parents-disabled-caregiving/Texas Medicaid caregivers’ wages were already near the poverty level. But parents whose sole income came from taking care of their disabled children have now lost their ability to work overtime hours.Neelam BohraMon, 11 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/11/texas-parents-disabled-caregiving/Laurie Sharp talks with her daughter, Logan Sharp, in the living room of their Pflugerville home on Saturday.Laurie Sharp talks with her daughter, Logan Sharp, in the living room of their Pflugerville home on Sep. 9. 2023. Logan's feeding tube runs in the foreground, which she requires to eat.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/18/texas-foster-care-deaf-children/Advocates say better accounting of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the state’s care and better access to translators are needed.Neelam BohraFri, 18 Aug 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/18/texas-foster-care-deaf-children/A sign for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services building in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.A sign for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services building in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/28/texas-medicaid-children-disabled/When Texas started scrubbing people from Medicaid after a three-year pause on removals during the pandemic, one family lost the insurance coverage that helped provide all treatments for their medically complex child.Neelam BohraFri, 28 Jul 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/28/texas-medicaid-children-disabled/Jodi Whites talks with her daughter Amelia outside their New Braunfels home on Thursday. “Sometimes people will tell me ‘Oh, she doesn’t look sick,’” Whites said. “I tell them, ‘We paid extra for that.’ No, really, this is what four years of Medicaid does for us. If we skip services for too long, the greater the chance she will relapse.” Last Friday, Amelia lost balance and fell into a door handle, giving herself a black eye.Jodi Whites, 37, talks with her daughter Amelia, 3, outside their home in New Braunfels, on July 27, 2023. “Sometimes people will tell me ‘Oh, she doesn’t look sick’,” said Whites. “I tell them, ‘We paid extra for that’. No, really, this is what four years of Medicaid does for us. If we skip services for too long, the greater the chance she will relapse.”Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/21/texas-medicaid-removal/Continuous Medicaid coverage ended in April. Many of the roughly half-million people stripped from the rolls don’t even know they’ve lost coverage yet.Neelam BohraFri, 21 Jul 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/21/texas-medicaid-removal/E.C.H.O.S. Benefits Assistance Team Leader Maricela Delcid listens to a client as she begins the intake process at the E.C.H.O.S office in Houston on Thursday, July 20, 2023.Maricela Delcid of ECHOS listens to a client as she begins the intake process at the E.C.H.O.S office in Houston on Thursday, July 20, 2023.Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/21/texas-abortion-law-transgender-pregnancy/While Texas’ controversial abortion law strictly refers to women in its phrasing, it also limits access to the procedure for transgender and nonbinary people who are able to become pregnant.Neelam BohraTue, 21 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/21/texas-abortion-law-transgender-pregnancy/A surgery room at the Whole Woman's Health Surgical Center in San Antonio on March 18, 2013.A surgery room at the Whole Woman's Health Surgical Center in San Antonio on March 18, 2013.Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/01/texas-abortion-law-funds/But some Texas nonprofit groups dedicated to paying for the medical costs of abortion say they have more money than patients to give it to — a likely symptom of fewer people being able to access the procedure because of the new law.Neelam BohraWed, 01 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/01/texas-abortion-law-funds/A sign advertising an organization that offers services to abortion patients is on the wall at Whole Woman’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.A sign advertising an organization that offers services to abortion patients is on the wall at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/22/texas-redistricting-congressional-asian/Asian and Pacific Islander populations surged in Texas over the past decade, but their political power is weakened under new congressional maps. A northwest Houston neighborhood offers a case study in how that was done.Neelam BohraMon, 22 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/22/texas-redistricting-congressional-asian/Hyunja Norman at the Korean Community Center in Spring Branch.Hyunja Norman poses for a portrait at the Korean Community Center in Spring Branch on Oct. 21, 2021. Norman passionately seeks representation for the Korean community in Houston by voting, education and raising awareness. She believes, “ if we work here, we can do anything or become someone to make American better for all Americans.”Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/02/texas-abortion-ban-impact-study/Appointment wait times at out-of-state clinics since the law’s implementation were longer than those in July 2020, according to the study.Neelam BohraTue, 02 Nov 2021 15:36:26 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/02/texas-abortion-ban-impact-study/Laboratory equipment at Planned Parenthood’s south Austin location.Laboratory equipment at Planned Parenthood’s south Austin location on Jan. 14, 2020.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/15/texas-abortion-ban-biden-admin/Court decisions have gone back and forth on the law’s enforceability over several weeks.Neelam BohraFri, 15 Oct 2021 13:06:06 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/15/texas-abortion-ban-biden-admin/The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington.The Supreme Court in Washington on Sept. 21, 2021.Eric Lee for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/14/texas-vaccine-mandates-exemptions-legislature/Senate Bill 51 would make any entity, including hospitals, vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits if they mandate vaccinations for all employees.Neelam Bohra and Mitchell FermanThu, 14 Oct 2021 20:42:47 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/14/texas-vaccine-mandates-exemptions-legislature/A COVID-19 vaccination record card sits on a table at a vaccine clinic held in partnership between the Central Texas Food Bank and University of Texas in Austin in July.A COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card sits on a table at a vaccine clinic held in partnership between the Central Texas Food Bank and University of Texas in Austin on July 21, 2021.Sophie Park/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/05/texas-mississippi-abortion-laws-supreme-court/If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, “trigger laws” across 12 states — including Texas — that ban all abortions will go into effect within months.Neelam BohraTue, 05 Oct 2021 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/05/texas-mississippi-abortion-laws-supreme-court/