Focus Report, Volume 76, Number 5, February 1999 Page: 1
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S 010 4001
ivEt-Ry . 5 T-n ec n 3
* RESEARCHU.S. GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT
T A' fJ-V NO. 610
i-ORGANIZATION
Texas House of Representatives
focus report
February 4, 1999
Health Care for Uninsured Texans
The number of individuals without health insurance in
Texas is relatively high compared with other states.
According to recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics, Texas
is tied with Arizona for the highest percentage (24.5
percent) of uninsured residents among the 50 states. In
1997, about 3.4 million adults and 1.4 million children
in Texas were covered by neither private health insurance
nor Medicaid. The Texas Department of Health (TDH)
estimates that about 86 percent of Texas' uninsured
children are members of families with one or more
working parents who cannot afford health insurance or
whose employers do not offer health insurance.
Texas' relatively high level of poverty is one reason
why the number of uninsured is so high. In 1997,
according to Census data, 16.8 percent of Texas'
population was impoverished, compared to 13.3 percent
for the nation as a whole. Among other reasons cited for
the high number of uninsured:
* Texas has many service-oriented, low-wage, and
nonunion businesses that do not offer health benefits.
* The rising cost of health benefit coverage has caused
some businesses and families to drop benefits.
* The Texas Insurance Purchasing Alliance has not been
able to substantially improve access to affordable health
care for employees of small businesses.
- State programs enacted in 1997 to increase access to
coverage for the uninsured have not reached their full
expected enrollment.
* Eligibility for the Texas Medicaid program is
relatively restrictive, and many children who are eligible
for Medicaid are not enrolled.
Texas' situation in part reflects national trends. The
percentage of uninsured is rising nationwide, even though
the economy is growing and unemployment is low,according to a recent study by the Employee Benefit
Research Institute (EBRI), based in Washington, D.C.
EBRI attributed this trend in part to the decline in
publicly funded health benefits for people who lost
coverage through military downsizing and welfare
changes, the rising costs of health care, the shift of
workers from manufacturing to the service sector, the
increased use of part-time workers, and declining
unionization.
People who lack health-benefit coverage or do not
have sufficient coverage or money to pay for medical
care are often called medically indigent. Most people
cannot afford to pay for the treatment of serious
medical conditions without health insurance, and many
people cannot buy insurance because premium rates are
unaffordable and their employer does not offer group
health insurance.
Contents
New Federal Incentive: Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP) 2
Publicly Funded Health Care 4
Medicaid 4
Disproportionate Share Hospital Program 6
County and Public Hospital Duties 7
Nonprofit Hospital Charity Obligations 8
Public/Private Health-Benefit Programs 9
Texas Healthy Kids Corporation 9
Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool 1 0
Health Coverage for Small Businesses 10
Financial Windfall: Tobacco
Settlement Funds 11No. 76-5
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Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives. Research Organization. Focus Report, Volume 76, Number 5, February 1999, periodical, February 4, 1999; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth641172/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.