An ugly fight over care for the poor in Texas

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Power, politics, and care for the poor in Texas

Local officials in Austin, Texas promised twelve years ago that if voters approved millions of dollars in new property taxes, it would be a win-win. The city would get a brand-new medical school and teaching hospital, and low-income people would get more health care services.

It was a novel strategy to circumvent the state legislature and funnel hundreds of millions of dollars through a local agency called a hospital district. Sort of like a school district, it’s charged with spending local tax dollars, and has a legal responsibility to provide health care services for the poor.

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