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Source: Houston Chronicle — https://www.chron.com/news/article/houston-methodist-lawsuit-insurance-21171404.php

Houston Methodist, one of Texas’ largest and most influential hospital systems, has officially joined a sweeping national lawsuit that accuses several major health-insurance companies and a data-analytics firm, Claritev (formerly known as MultiPlan), of unlawfully manipulating how out-of-network medical claims are priced. According to the lawsuit, these insurers and Claritev allegedly used proprietary algorithms and reimbursement-pricing tools to artificially suppress the rates paid to hospitals and healthcare providers when patients received care outside of their insurer’s preferred network. The filing argues that this system created a hidden, coordinated pricing structure that benefited insurers financially by keeping payouts low while providers absorbed the financial strain of being under-reimbursed for the same medical services.

The lawsuit paints a detailed picture of how this alleged arrangement worked behind the scenes. Hospitals claim that insurers would feed patient data and billing information into Claritev’s platform, which would then generate…

Houston is entering a pivotal moment in its approach to homelessness and public space management. Newly released data from Houston Public Media shows a dramatic rise in citations issued to homeless individuals following expansions of the city’s “civility ordinance.” As city officials consider extending restrictions into the Greater East End, a growing debate has emerged about whether enforcement is solving the problem—or deepening the crisis for Houston’s unhoused residents.

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A Major Spike in Enforcement Since July 2025

After Houston expanded its civility ordinance in July 2025, enforcement increased at unprecedented levels—not only within designated civility zones, but citywide.