Remember HB 2292 from back in 2003? This bill was muscled through session without alot of scrutiny, and there were a lot of unanswered questions. It ordered a huge consolidation of Health & Human Services agencies that put a large amount of centralized power in the hands of the HHSC & the governor. Agency boards are replaced with advisory boards, they have no power to set rules, and many different areas are privatized.
According to the H.B. 2292 Transition Plan, all of this

"sets expectations for significant improvement in the cost effectiveness of health and human services agency operations in order to generate substantial, measurable, and sustainable savings."

The number we kept hearing was $45 million dollars in savings. Well, turns out that just wasn't true. The SA Express-News got hold of a copy of the state auditor's report coming out next week, & it turns out that HHSC will only save $1.1 million dollars in the next 5 years. That's a $43.9 million dollar mistake.

"The audit, a draft of which was obtained by the Express-News, said a substantial amount of the projected savings evaporated after "errors and complete data" were considered."

Texas lawmakers making decisions with errors & without complete data? Say it ain't so.

Another fun bit? Turns out the commission counted federal matching dollars in its savings plan - federal funds that we aren't elegible for because of all of the privatization that went on.

Check out the Center for Public Policies Priorities statement on the whole deal. It'll be interesting to see what the audit says next week. Kuff, Jeffersonian, & Red State have more coverage.