Health care providers received some welcome news this week. According to KUT and The Texas Tribune, the Obama administration has agreed to temporarily keep federal Medicaid money flowing into the Lone Star State. The money will go toward helping hospitals treat uninsured patients.
State leaders in Texas have refused for years to provide health insurance to low-income adults. And health providers had feared losing the money they receive from the Federal Government to care for these patients. The US government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have agreed to keep the program going for another 15 months.
Hospital reimbursements will remain at their current level. Chris Traylor, executive director of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, is thrilled. "These programs are improving health care for Texas' Medicaid clients,” he said. He added that the federal program also creates savings for taxpayers.