Today, countless vulnerable Texans continue to languish without healthcare access because – despite an historic budget surplus – Texas Republicans continue to refuse to expand Medicaid.
Via Texas Democrats
In a vote on Thursday night, State Representative Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) and Texas Democrats proposed an amendment to the state’s supplemental budget to expand Medicaid coverage in Texas and ensure some of the poorest Texans are able to access lifesaving healthcare.
Texas Republicans shot it down.
“We hear a lot about the strong Texas economy. Our economy is strong because of the working men and women of Texas. But 1.4 million of them, at least, do not have health care. It’s shameful that we must now go another two years and be one of only 10 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid,” said Rep. Turner. “It’s long past time to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, bring our federal tax dollars home and provide health insurance to 1.4 million working Texans.”
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MEDICAID EXPANSION IN TEXAS:
This vote came just days after North Carolina became the 40th state to have expanded Medicaid — including every single state bordering Texas. That’s right: Texas is now one of just ten states in the entire country that refuses to allow access to basic healthcare for its most vulnerable populations.
The Kaiser Family Foundation projects that, if Texas were to expand Medicaid, healthcare would become accessible to nearly a million and a half more Texans. KFF also notes that, in the other states that have passed it, Medicaid expansion is associated with greater access to healthcare, decreased uncompensated care costs, reduced medical debt, improved affordability of care, increased utilization of care, and increased coverage.
Additionally, KFF reports that the federal government would be paying most of the cost of the ACA Medicaid expansion: 90% in FY 2021 and beyond — meaning that the State of Texas would only have to pay 10¢ to the dollar to bring life-saving healthcare to its neediest residents.
