EXPANDING MEDICAID FOR TEXANS

With the arrival of the Coronavirus, we have seen it place an unprecedented strain on our public health system and economy. Exposing the vast inequalities and vulnerabilities in access to healthcare. More than one out of every five kids in Texas have no insurance. Today, Texas is home to more than a quarter of those in the healthcare coverage gap nationwide and ranks below states like Alabama and Mississippi with the largest uninsured population in the country. We deserve better and the experts know this. 

In 2014, a board of 15 medical professionals appointed by then Governor Rick Perry found that the state must accept federal funds for expanding Medicaid, noting that the uninsured rate in Texas was “unacceptable.” The best way to reduce our state’s high uninsured rate and improve overall health is by expanding Medicaid, but despite knowing this, Republicans like Todd Hunter in the Texas Legislature refuse to accept billions of our own federal tax dollars available to expand health coverage. Medicaid expansion has already been paid for by us, but they see it best to put politics above people rather than bringing home the bacon for this state. U.S. census data indicated that 17.7 percent of Texans were uninsured in 2018. $114.2 billion have been allocated by the federal government for Medicaid expansion over the next decade and Republicans in Austin have left it on the table playing games with our money and our health. Moreover, 1.7 million Texans are being denied healthcare coverage because of their partisan tricks. 

In 2016, Texas sent the federal government $261 billion in taxes, and the state only received $39.5 billion in return, or about 15 percent of our return on investment. A lot of politicians talk a big game about being fiscal conservatives, but in truth this is evidence to the contrary. Republicans in Austin as of late have become more fixated with bathrooms and Obama than with our tax dollars and health. Todd Hunter and the Republicans have turned their backs on Texas families while millions in federal funds sit untapped to expand Medicaid. Big shot career politicians in Austin are fine with this because it doesn’t affect them. While they sit healthy we’re being left with the short end of the stick because of “ideology” and “principle.” It’s time Texans got a proper return on their investment and receive the quality health care we deserve. 

We should be preventing our tax dollars from going to waste and being sent to other states like California and New York. We simply cannot afford to continue business as usual while millions are being treated as poker chips. Texas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country and a growing Covid-19 population. It is in our best interest to ensure that every Texan has access to quality affordable health care especially in times of pandemics and public health crises. The burden being placed on families and small businesses that are overpaying in premiums and meeting roadblocks to business growth are ridiculous and affect each of us. 

Comprehensive health care reform requires a truly Texan touch that builds on what works and acts with both compassion and sensibility. I pledge to work tirelessly, as I have on Veteran issues, to make healthcare affordable and accessible for all. You deserve an honest representative who will not just fight the bad bills, but will put forward policies that strengthen public health, increase access to necessary care, and expand programs that help all families. It’s time for Austin to do more than to sit and talk a big talk. If you value your family’s health and the responsible use of your tax dollars then you have a home with me. 

Source Links: 

https://www.healthinsurance.org/medicaid/

https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/2017/november/federal-funding.php