By The Numbers: The Role Of Medicaid Expansion In Reducing The Nation’s Uninsured Rate
The Washington Post analyzed Tuesday's Census data to find that an "obvious way" to further cut the nation's rate of uninsurance would be to expand the state-federal health insurance program for low-income people in the 19 states that opted not to take advantage of this part of the federal health law.
The Washington Post:
The Striking Difference Between States That Expanded Medicaid And The Ones That Didn’t
The number of Americans without health insurance declined to 9.1 percent last year, according to federal data released Tuesday. A set of maps released by the Census Bureau suggests an obvious way to decrease the uninsured rate even more: expand Medicaid in the 19 states that haven't. (Johnson, 9/13)
But in Texas, lawmakers appear to have little interest in pursuing the expansion -
Texas Tribune:
Key Texas Lawmakers Show Little Appetite For Medicaid Expansion
The chairman of the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee and other high-ranking Republicans on Tuesday expressed little interest in expanding publicly funded insurance coverage to low-income Texans, suggesting the issue is unlikely to gain traction when the state Legislature convenes in January. State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, the committee’s chairman, said at a public hearing that expanding Medicaid coverage would do little to help the finances of hospitals that treat uninsured patients. He also criticized expansion supporters for the “false tactic or verbiage that’s utilized frequently that expanding Medicaid’s going to solve everything.” (Walters, 9/13)
