1 in 4 Residents Can't Find Affordable Medical CoverageMay, 2007
Health insurance in Texas has become a big issue since the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Texas ranks #1 in the uninsured, nationwide.
Around 25% of Texas can't find an affordable medical coverage plan; compared to the national average of 16%, this puts Texas well in the lead when it comes to uninsured citizens.
And as it says at
news8austin.com, "this is a huge problem. Not having health insurance means that you are actually more likely to get sick because you're not going to get the preventive care that comes with primary care."
In response Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso, is proposing the first ever single payer universal health care bill in Texas. Senate Bill 1911 would extend health insurance to all Texans. The project would be funded through already collected taxpayer dollars. After that, it would be up to a health care authority to divvy up the costs.
And at the same time, there's a similar bill making its way through the U.S. Congress. In Washington, Rep. John Conyers of Ohio has sponsored House Resolution 676, a single-payer universal health care bill designed to make health insurance available to all Americans, regardless of how much money they make or what kind of pre-existing conditions they may have.
Sadly, neither bill is expected to succeed.
Facts on:
Health Insurance in Texas
Did you know...
Approximately 25% of Texas can't find an affordable medical coverage plan?
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Why not? Some say pharmaceutical lobbies are too powerful to overturn. Others fear that the quality of care will go down if private health insurance in Texas, or anywhere, is eradicated.
But until
affordable medical coverage is made available to everyone, the quality of care won't mean much to the millions of people who don't get any care at all.
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