CommunHealth

Texas healthcare advocacy

Community voices.
Better access.

Advancing equitable healthcare access through community advocacy and public policy.

We develop practical policy proposals and bring community perspectives into the conversation about access to care.

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An illustration of community members gathered around a shared policy document.

Community insight. A path to policy.

Rooted in Texas.
Focused on access.

Our current agenda centers on adult Medicaid dental care and targeted obesity treatment coverage.

Two policy priorities

Our policy priorities

A practical agenda
for access to care.

Two CommunHealth proposals for consideration by Texas policymakers and health agencies.

Adult dental care

Dental access
& benefit rollover.

Help adults get needed dental care and carry qualifying unused benefits forward for more expensive treatment.

What we are asking policymakers to consider

  • Establish broader adult Texas Medicaid dental coverage.
  • Allow unused amounts under qualifying annual dental benefits to carry forward, with clear limits and safeguards.
  • Support needed restorative care, including dentures and bridges, while keeping preventive and urgent care available when needed.
How would this affect existing benefits?

Rollover applies where an annual dental allowance exists. Creating a broader adult dental benefit is a separate policy step.

The proposal preserves existing STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) dental services. It does not reduce or replace them. Medically necessary implant exceptions would be studied separately.

Read the public summaryPDF · opens in a new tabDiscuss this proposal

Obesity treatment

Medication access
with accountability.

Consider targeted coverage of FDA-approved obesity medicines for adults with serious obesity-related complications.

What we are asking policymakers to consider

  • Use clear medical criteria for adults who face serious health complications related to obesity.
  • Include appropriate GLP-1 and dual-agonist treatments, with physician oversight, monitoring and follow-up.
  • Evaluate clinical outcomes, safety, costs and implementation. Potential savings should be studied, not assumed.
What about future medicines?

Future treatments, including triple-agonist medicines, would be considered only after FDA approval and the required clinical, legal, policy and funding reviews.

The proposal asks Texas Medicaid to evaluate a targeted coverage approach. It does not assume that approval of a medicine automatically creates Medicaid coverage.

Read the public summaryPDF · opens in a new tabDiscuss this proposal

Current status: These are CommunHealth policy proposals for review. They are not enacted laws, adopted agency policies or a statement of current Medicaid benefits.

Our approach

Good policy starts
with listening.

We develop policy briefs, draft legislative language and public comments, and welcome informed feedback to strengthen the work.

01 / Listen

Community perspective.

Make room for the experiences and priorities of people affected by barriers to care.

02 / Develop

Evidence and detail.

Connect the policy idea with clinical evidence, costs, practical safeguards and implementation questions.

03 / Engage

Informed public dialogue.

Seek review and collaboration from policymakers, health agencies, professionals and community partners.

About CommunHealth

Rooted in Texas.
Open to collaboration.

CommunHealth is a Texas healthcare advocacy organization focused on improving access to care.

Our work brings community perspectives and policy development together. We welcome thoughtful input from Medicaid beneficiaries, healthcare professionals, researchers, advocacy organizations and public officials.

Leadership

Tracy L. Jackson

Chairman & CEO, CommunHealth

Let’s connect

Your perspective
belongs in the conversation.

Share a question, an idea or evidence that could help advance access to care.

Email CommunHealth
Email
Based in Houston, Texas
2401 Fountain View Drive
Ste. 464-1377
Houston, TX 77057
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