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Texas remains the uninsured capital of the United States. Twenty-six percent of Texans, 5.6 million people, are uninsured. Health insurance alone does not guarantee good health or the ability to obtain immediate medical care. But Texans without it are more likely to forego the care they need to prevent, manage, and treat illnesses. A study by Families USA found that about 2,600 Texans die prematurely each year for lack of health insurance.
Most Americans obtain health coverage for themselves and their families through their employer, but 79 percent of uninsured Texans either work or live with a family member who works. Texas ranks last in the nation for employer-sponsored insurance; only 52 percent of Texans have coverage through their employer. For small businesses — the bulk of Texas employers — the number is even worse: 34 percent.
Cost is the primary reason individuals and small businesses choose no insurance coverage. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that premiums for employer-based insurance have increased 100 percent since 2000. In 2007, the average annual premium for a family was more than $12,000, the employee paying 27 percent.
TMA supports using the best of both the public and the private sectors to improve health insurance coverage. In 2007, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 10, a TMA-backed bill that embodies this strategy: (1) maximize state and federal dollars to help more low-income Texans obtain private coverage, and (2) expand Medicaid’s purchasing power by promoting prevention and healthier lifestyles. While the federal government has not approved Texas’ SB 10 plan, TMA still supports the fundamental goals of the bill.
Medicine’s 2009 Agenda
- Build upon the SB 10 reforms, which direct the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to use Medicaid dollars as a financing tool to extend private coverage for low-income parents and adults.
- Give the Texas Department of Insurance the statutory authority to review health insurance premiums. Simplify and streamline the rate-setting process for small employers and individuals to reduce premiums.
- Expand outreach to enroll children who are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
- Enact 12 months’ continuous coverage for children in Medicaid.
Medicine’s Message
- Small employers are the largest generators of new jobs today, and the Texas economy depends upon them. These employers and their employees must have access to affordable health insurance.
- For Texas to compete economically at home and abroad, we must invest in a healthy population and workforce, which includes ensuring that all Texans can obtain affordable, timely health care.
Last Published: 11/18/2008 Print this page
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