Health Policy Research - Episcopal Health Foundation

Episcopal Health Foundation publishes in-depth research on Texas health policy. These reports cover Medicaid managed care, health insurance subsidies, transportation access, public health systems, and more. If you want to understand how health policy affects everyday Texans — including people in Harris County — this is a solid place to start.

The research library covers a wide range of topics. You will find evaluations of community health center networks, surveys of managed care organizations (health plans that run Medicaid programs), and studies on what happens when federal health insurance subsidies shrink or disappear. There are also reports on non-emergency medical transportation — the Medicaid benefit that helps people get to appointments — and a strategy paper on using artificial intelligence (AI) in safety-net and rural health care settings. Public health infrastructure, meaning the local health departments and systems that protect community health, is another focus area.

Use these reports to back up conversations with local officials or community organizations. If you work in health care, advocacy, or local government, the findings give you data grounded in Texas realities. If you are a curious resident, the reports help you understand why certain health challenges persist in your community and what solutions people are trying.

No fixed date

Not location-specific

These reports connect closely to conversations happening at Houston health departments, community health centers, and local advocacy groups working on Medicaid, health equity, and access to care. Organizations like Harris County Public Health and local federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) — clinics that serve patients regardless of ability to pay — may already be acting on findings like these.

Health policy shapes who gets care, how much it costs, and whether people can even get to a doctor. These reports translate complicated policy questions into findings that communities, advocates, and local officials can actually use. For Houston-area residents, some reports speak directly to issues like marketplace insurance costs in Harris County and Medicaid transportation barriers that affect neighbors right here.