Several key Texas lawmakers have shown little interest in expanding Medicaid in Texas, according to The Texas Tribune.
The high-ranking Texas Republicans on Tuesday said they had little appetite for allowing low-income Texans to receive additional publicly funded insurance coverage. Their reluctance means the issue isn’t likely to be taken up in any meaningful way during the next legislative session. State Sen. Charles Schwertner, chairman of the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said he believed expanding Medicaid coverage would do little to help hospitals that treat uninsured patients.
Roughly 800,000 Texans would receive insurance under the expansion. Many Texans currently receive federal funds for insurance under President Obama's signature Affordable Care Act.
Texas currently has a higher rate of uninsured citizens than any other state.