Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people under 65 in 19 of the nation’s 20 counties, according to a new study. The research was conducted by financial technology company SmartAsset.
Newsweek reached out to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s news office for comment Thursday via email outside of normal business hours.
why is it important
The proportion of Americans without health insurance is a major concern, both from the perspective of their own well-being and from the perspective of states and civil society, which must pay for it through Medicare and other programs. I am. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of March 2024, approximately 8% of Americans nationwide do not have health insurance.
Republican-controlled Texas is one of the few states that chose not to adopt the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.
What you need to know
A SmartAsset study found that by 2024, nine of the 10 counties with the most people under 65 without health insurance will be in Texas.
These include Hidalgo County’s uninsured rate of 32.1%, Cameron County’s 30.1%, Webb County’s 29.7%, Starr County’s 29%, Ector County’s 25.3%, Potter County’s 24.4%, Dallas County’s 24.2%, and Harris County. The county accounted for 23.8%. and El Paso County at 23.5 percent.
The only non-Texas county in the top 10 was Whitfield County, Georgia, where 23.4 percent of people under 65 do not have health insurance.
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Of the 20 states with the highest number of uninsured people under age 65, the remaining 10 were all lone star states. These include Liberty County (23.2%), Bastrop County (22.8%), Jefferson County (22.7%), Angelina County (22.5%), Gregg County, Nacogdoches County, Henderson County (22% each), Smith County (21.2%), Nueces County (21.2%), and Wise County (22%). Ta. The county’s rate was 20.9 percent.
SmartAsset also found that Tom Green County, Texas, ranked 25th in uninsured people under age 65, but the uninsured rate decreased from 17.5% in 2023 to 20.2% in 2024. It turns out. The company estimates that in 2024, the average annual health insurance premium for each American would be nearly $9,000, or $25,500 for a family of four.
people’s opinions
Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project based at the University of Texas at Austin, said in an interview with Newsweek that the number of Texans without health insurance is not very high on the state’s political radar.
“Texas is a young, diverse state with a vast territory, many needs, and health care and insurance delivery here has proven to be a challenge,” he said. As much as homeowners lament Texas’ low prices, few average Texans care much about insurance coverage.
“In a February 2023 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll, only 15 percent of Texas voters said they had heard a lot about the number of Texans without health insurance. –Percentage of uninsured adults in the state, even though the state has been, and still is, the state with the largest population. ”
Blank added that because of Republican hostility to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid is unlikely to be expanded in Texas anytime soon.
“Texas continues to be one of the few states that did not expand eligibility following the Affordable Care Act (ACA), so a debate about the state’s high uninsured population is inevitable,” he said. “We are heading to the debate on Medicaid expansion.”
“But for Texas Republicans, Medicaid in general and the ACA in particular may be the same as a four-letter word. This suggests that there is little appetite to expand coverage in the clearest and most accessible way possible.” means.”
what happens next
Texas Democrats are expected to continue pushing for Medicaid expansion in the state, but with Republicans controlling the governor’s office and both chambers of the Texas Legislature, there are no signs that it will happen soon.
