A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed there are a significant percentage of Texans without health insurance. Texas state leaders have been some of the most resistant in the nation to provide coverage for the uninsured under the Affordable Care Act according to a recent editorial in the New York Times.
The Census report reveals more than 25 percent of the population in Texas, under age 65, is uninsured. This is the highest rate in the nation. Gov. Rick Perry and Republican legislators have:
- Strongly opposed Medicaid expansion
- Refused to establish a state run exchange to coordinate state and federal programs, and provide subsidies to middle-income residents
Perry and state legislators say the state has other ways to deal with the uninsured.
The Health Care Act was created with the purpose of providing healthcare coverage for millions of uninsured people by expanding the federal state Medicaid program for the poor, as well as setting up new health care exchanges where people could buy comprehensive private insurance polices. Subsidies will help middle-income people pay their premiums.
Grants were provided to state organizations across the country, including Texas, to help people learn about the exchange as well as the subsidies available.
Read the commentary here.