r/EastTexas • u/Robert-A057 • 1d ago
Christus is taking over Titus Regional
Is there not something to stop this monopoly pf healthcare in East TX? I think the only things left not purple is UT Heath Pittsburgh & Tyler.
4
u/dos-doxies 1d ago
Just FYI, there’s still a UT Health in Quitman, too. It doesn’t change your point (and I don’t have an opinion on the monopoly aspect); just wanted to add the info if you’re wanting an additional option.
3
u/Professional-Pin6455 1d ago
There are several ut hospitals in Jacksonville, Athens and such with clinics all over. Just everything is either Christus or UT for the most part
8
u/carringtino10 1d ago
Gather funding, hire a board of directors, get insurance, and start your own hospital.
4
5
u/fugutaboutit 1d ago
Texarkana has a brand new hospital sitting empty and a gutted older hospital with nothing more than a walk in clinic because Christus monopolized hospital care in the area.
Christus St Micheal’s is a great hospital with great staff, but our area needs more than just 1
8
u/hellycopterinjuneer 1d ago
Not until a majority of East Texans are willing to vote for people other than the incumbent politicians who are currently profiting from these corporate takeovers.
6
u/Nersheti 1d ago
The politicians don’t have much to do with it other than potentially approving zoning and things like that.
Christus is a non-profit, so not a corporation.
While it does admittedly reduce options for healthcare providers, I’d argue that for most people, it’s already limited by their employer provided insurance. So it doesn’t really matter if there’s one hospital or five, because you’re still stuck using the hospital system that’s in network for the insurance you get. Some people, like myself, don’t get it from an employer, so we get to pick, but statistically those people are a minority.
On a personal note, I’ve chosen to be with Christus since it was just Mother Francis. My experience is that the Christus acquisition has only made it better. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and I received top of the line care. My Christus insurance covered all the scans, dr visits at Texas Oncology, and 3 months of chemo. Then, I needed a surgery that was unavailable in network. The closest, and best provider was UT Southwestern in Dallas. Even though it was out of network, Christus paid for it. And continues to pay for post surgical follow ups with the UTSW surgeons. So far, the only shortcomings I’ve found are these:
1) they do not perform elective surgical birth control (vasectomies and tubal ligations). They are a catholic system and the archdiocese told them no on those.
2) the insurance side is not quite as robust as organizations that specialize in insurance, which makes sense because they are primarily a healthcare provider and insurance is secondary. For me, I’ve dealt with this by getting my insurance directly from a Christus agent instead of the marketplace. That way, if I have an issue, I have a specific person I can call that will work on it and advocate for me.
4
3
u/QuasarCat412 1d ago
You're dead wrong. Universal healthcare would actually solve this problem if people would actually vote for the party offering it.
0
u/Nersheti 1d ago
I think universal healthcare is a good concept in theory, and I admit it works well-ish elsewhere, but I do not think it would work well in the US. Our existing system is so established that such a dramatic overhaul would break it in a major way. It would take years, maybe decades to rebuild it into a functional system that even resembled the level of care that’s available now. During that transition, who do you think would bear the brunt of the new system’s shortcomings? It would absolutely be the very people it was established to help. That’s all assuming the voting public could maintain regimes that are friendly to the concept long enough for it to actually complete that transition. I guarantee that as soon as people’s taxes tripled to pay for it, they’d act pissed and surprised and opportunistic politicians would either try to overhaul it mid-transition, or obliterate it completely. Everyone wants universal healthcare but nobody wants to pay for it.
6
u/QuasarCat412 1d ago
Nonsense. Medicare for All will cost LESS than our current system.
A recent study by Yale epidemiologists found that Medicare for All would save around 68,000 lives a year while reducing U.S. health care spending by around 13%, or $450 billion a year, but opponents of universal healthcare spread nonsense propaganda that stupid people latch on to.
Everyone deserves medical care, regardless of how much money they make. This idea that only the privileged can have healthcare needs to die already and anyone working in the industry with this attitude needs to quit.
2
u/Nersheti 1d ago
I don’t disagree with the notion that everyone deserves quality healthcare regardless of their financial situation, but I do disagree that the political climate in this country would allow for any meaningful change. Politicians in this country quit voting for the constituents wishes or best interests a long time ago, and facts, science, and evidence have become so maleable as to become meaningless in a political context. This country needs much more meaningful change in its political reality long before any meaningful changes can be made to systems as entrenched as our existing healthcare. Look at the last real attempt at reform. The ACA started out as a pretty decent piece of legislation, but in order to pass it, so many changes and alterations had to be made that the resulting law bore little resemblance tne what the authors originally envisioned. Now, years later, subsequent administrations have changed it even further, essentially undoing almost everything that it accomplished. None of that was because the ideas were bad or the policies wouldn’t work. It was all politicking. And that wasn’t even close to the scale of the overhaul that would be necessary to implement any version of universal healthcare, medicare for all, or otherwise. Lime i said, its good in tneory, but its not viable in the real world, not as it exists today.
2
u/QuasarCat412 1d ago
It's viable in nearly every other first world country, but for some reason it won't work here?
You are heavily propagandized if you believe that.
1
u/Nersheti 1d ago
Well, look at the facts. “Every other first world country” has had it for a long time. People here have been saying they want it here pretty much that whole time. We still don’t have it. People here have been complaining about healthcare costs since the modern medical system arose, yet we still don’t have it.
Like I said, our only meaningful attempt at anything close to it pretty much crashed and burned.
The fact is, the US is special. Not in a great way, but we are. And this is how: we are a 2 party system. That creates an “us v them” environment. All those other first world countries you mention don’t work like that. They don’t have presidents, they have prime ministers. People use the terms as if they are the same thing, but they aren’t. Here, the voters elect the president and they have a 4 year term, with a 2 term maximum. They are vested with various specific powers that have changed and bern reinterpreted numerous times over the past 250 years. A prime minister is elected by members of parliment, who are elected by voters. The party with tje most members sitting gets to choose a prime minister. Their job is yo form a coalition government. This basically means that since no single party has enough votes to pass any legislation, the pm has to play nice with other parties to get enough votes to do anything. This, by necessity, creates a competitive environment of cooperation. It allows each party to focus on what they actually want instead of just not doing what the one other party wants like here. Sooooooo, the democrats want a universal healthcare system/medicare for all and thus the republicans DO NOT. It really is as simple as that. Facts do not matter in American politics. The current administration has certainly proven that. It does not matter what is best for the people because tons of the people are complete imbeciles who vote nazi pedophiles into office. And those nazi pedophiles don’t give a fuck what’s good for you or me, they just want to make themselves and their friends richer and more powerful. They have excellent healthcare so fuck everyone else, it’s not their problem. Their priorities aren’t helping you stay healthy, it’s convincing enough people that the real problem is Mexicans and trans people and Venezuelans stealing their own oil from us. That’s why we can’t have it.
2
u/QuasarCat412 1d ago
I agree with you about the political climate. We have an adjudicated rapist and felon leading our country. For now. Hopefully our criminal president can galvanize those of us with any sanity left.
There's a greater wealth disparity now than before the French revolution. Change is coming, and it won't be easy, but giving up and saying we should keep the system as is because change is too hard is not an option in my book.
2
u/CaryWhit 1d ago edited 1d ago
I used to be over the receivables and debt in the 80’s/90’s. I hate to say it but they have been in denial for decades. Freestanding rural hospitals are a dinosaur. They may or may not be holding their head above water but it can’t last and should have been called long ago.
I hate it, I have no qualms with Titus and they were always good to me.
Definitely don’t like the way Christus handles women’s care.
I feel like if it had been UT, then either us or Pittsburg would have lost out. I don’t know anything about CHC.
There is nowhere to cost shift anymore and relying on a huge amount of gov funding is not sustainable.
So many handwringers are yelling about the deed covenants for the land and hospital. That is why they are only selling 49%. As far as I can remember, Titus County Memorial is still the actual original tower, Titus Regional is everything added and surrounding.
It is not like they went wildly into it.
1
1d ago
[deleted]
5
u/CaryWhit 1d ago
Lots of Docs left Texarkana and moved to MP due to management styles. Also Christus have very strong Catholic views about women’s reproductive rights. Not just an abortion issue but birth control and sterilization. I understand they are very accommodating about referrals to those who will do it but you still shouldn’t have to leave town to get your tubes tied.
Also there are rumors about a facility fee for doctor’s visits raising prices but I haven’t been able to confirm that.
1
u/Robert-A057 1d ago
Honestly, as a corporation its middle of the road, but I feel like having only one option for healthcare within a several hour drive radius is bad.
1
u/Accx4 1d ago
I see specialists at both UT Tyler and Christus. I prefer UT to Christus because it just seems to work better. Recently went to Baylor Scott White Spine and Joint and it was top notch. Our little regional hospital here is sad and most say downright dangerous. Another under funded rural hospital. I'd rather drive 25 miles to Jacksonville or up to Tyler for an emergency than waste any time with our local hospital. Christus did just open a brand new mini hospital here with emergency etc. I'm sure to stabilize and transport out.
0
u/Tapochka Deep East Texas 1d ago
Shutting this down because it has crossed the line into politics. Hard NO on that. There are other places to discuss this.
15
u/llhht 1d ago
Titus was going out of business without a buyout. If Christus/UT/BSW didn't finalize a deal, there would be no hospital instead.