Doctors are community leaders. This role has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. As patients navigate our new reality, they are looking to us to determine what is safe, how to protect their families, and the future of their health care. As more Texans lose their jobs, their health insurance, or even their homes, it is crucial that Texas receives the resources it needs to uphold our social safety net.
The U.S. Census helps determine funding for those resources, and that is why it is of the upmost importance that each and every Texan, no matter address, immigration status, or age, respond to the 2020 U.S. Census The deadline has been cut short one month and now closes Sept. 30.
COVID-19 has only increased the importance of completing the census to help our local communities and economies recover. The novel coronavirus has inflicted unprecedented strain on patients and exacerbated inequality as more people are out of work and are many in need of help with food, health care, housing, and more. Schools also have been stretched thin, with teachers scrambling to teach students online. Yet, the amount of federal funding Texas has available today to help weather this emergency was driven in part by the census responses made a decade ago. Getting an accurate count in 2020 will help Texans prepare for the decade to follow, the first few years of which most certainly will be spent rebuilding from the pandemic’s fallout. Therefore, it is vital that all Texans be counted..
The federal dollars Texas receives generally depends on our population. A George Washington University study recently found that even a 1% undercount can lead to a $300 million loss in funding.
Take Medicaid, for example. Federal funds pay for 60% of the state’s program, which provides health coverage for two out of five Texas children, one in three individuals with disabilities, and 53% of all births. The complicated formula used to calculate the federal portion of this funding depends on accurate census data. If Texas’ population is undercounted, Texans may appear better off financially than they really are, resulting in Texas getting fewer federal Medicaid dollars. If that happens, lawmakers will have to make up the difference, with cuts in services, program eligibility, or physician and provider payments, any of which are potentially detrimental.
The census data is key to funding other aspects of a community’s social safety net:
Health care
- The Children’s Health Insurance Program provides low-cost health insurance to children whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford quality coverage. Like Medicaid, how much money the federal government reimburses the state for the program depends in part on the census.
- Maternal and child health programs that promote public health and help ensure children are vaccinated relies on data from the census. Texas also uses this federal funding to study and respond to maternal mortality and perinatal depression.
Food and housing
- As unemployment rises and families struggle financially, many live with uncertainty as to where they will find their next meal. Already, one in seven Texans experiences food insecurity, and 20% of Texas children experience hunger. Food insecurity is rising in Texas as the pandemic continues. The Central Texas Food Bank saw a 206% rise in clients in March. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and school lunch programs are both determined by the census.
- Funding for local housing programs also is calculated via the census. An accurate count will help ensure that people who lose their homes during this economic crisis have better hope of finding shelter while our communities recover. Homelessness is closely connected with declines in overall physical and mental health.
Childcare and education
- As we navigate the new reality brought on by coronavirus, more parents are taking on roles as breadwinner, parent, teacher, and caretaker. This stress highlights the desperate need for affordable childcare.
- The census determines funding for programs like Head Start that provide comprehensive early childhood education to low-income families.
The good news is you still have time to complete the census. Visit 2020census.gov to take it. It takes less than five minutes to complete. Then talk to your family, neighbors, and colleagues about doing the same. If you are wondering who counts, the answer is everyone, whether it’s a newborn baby, child in foster care, undocumented immigrant, or individual experiencing homelessness.
Completing the census is one of the best things that you can do for the health of your community, especially during the pandemic. Thank you for helping Texas heal and for supporting these essential safety net programs.
Lauren Gambill, MD, is a pediatrician in Austin and a member of the Texas Pediatric Society Executive Board.