for eMaxHealth
Texas is at the top of the heap again – this time we are the most uninsured state, health care-wise, in the country. Oh wait, being without health insurance coverage is not a good thing, is it? One in four people in Texas can't afford to have health insurance.
The U.S. Census Bureau released a report today stating that the number of uninsured in America was down to just 15.3% in 2007. But not in Texas. In 2007, Lone Star state residents went from 23.9% uninsured to 24.8%.
John Greeley, public information officer for the Texas Department of Insurance told Hair Balls:
"Some of the things that we have identified as contributing to the number of uninsured in Texas, with regards to health insurance, are the high number of small businesses that are paying a relatively low wage that we have in the state. Our number of people getting employer coverage is less than in other states. There’s an economic climate in Texas that is very much free enterprise, which affects that. Other factors are that health care cost more here. Also, we have overall lower household wages. Those are some of the factors that we looked at last year and they haven’t really changed."
Race and place of birth are definitely factors in getting – or rather not getting – health insurance coverage. 32.1% of Hispanics in Texas are uninsured, but in all 49 other states, that rate was less than 20%. (Only Native Americans and Alaskan Natives rivaled the Hispanic rates, at 31.9%.)
For the country as a whole, 43.8% of non-citizens are uninsured, while U.S.-born citizens have only a 12.7% uninsured rate. Greeley said he didn’t have any comments on the possible correlation between race/place of birth and health insurance percentages.
But all hope is not lost.
Greeley says the lack of health insurance coverage in Texas hasn’t gone unnoticed: “Texas has had a number of initiatives started to address the problem of the uninsured. There’s a lot of activity, a lot of legislative activity that is happening. We’re finishing up two interim studies."
He continues:
"One of them is more affordable options for small businesses to offer health insurance, ways to make it easier for them including premium subsidies, help to cover the cost to the business. We’re also looking at that for individuals, other sources of funds that might be used to cover their health insurance premiums. We’ve also been involved, the Governor’s Office and other state agencies, in seeking a waiver from Medicare that would allow qualified individuals to use funds from Medicare to buy private health insurance."
Those health insurance programs in Texas should be in place in the next five to ten years. Hope we can stay healthy that long.
Olivia Alvaarez writes for The Rag Blog
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Comments
#1 to all who say they r not racist!!
you all say you r not racist. Well dfine racist. I live in the Houston area and I see what the other Houstonian is talkn about. I am one of those statictist that is low income struggling barely making it. I am not insured cause I cannt afford it. But I am trying to better myself. I am going to school full time work 2 jobs full time and my fiance working 2 jobs ( who by the way came legaly from mexico) and helping us. The americans i married and divorced dont do nothing to support their kidds but i made sure they have insurance and take care of them the best i can(my kids by way). Where is the government on the school & child support? to me all yall want to do is blame and cry and whine! we pay for the lawbreakers shelters and food and cloths but the law abidding get screwed! what needs to be done is all stnd up and ask if we are such a free place why is other countries better off than we are? Why do they have so much more to offer than we do? all i hear from others is racist remarks and it disturbs me in what this country has become these days. this is our childrens future and it doesnt seem very promising to me. o n unskilled mexican workers, they come here to get away from the bad and get paid nothing because the americans are stingy n want more than ben offered. they work for nothing save it all and send it home yet they have less than us. think about all the ancestors of yalls that came and see why they came here. America has lost what the real purpose was and until we realize that then everything will be screwed up
#2 Border State
Illegal immigration is not the issue here.
From the Census website (3 yr avg 2005-2007 % of uninsured): Texas - 24.4%; New Mexico - 21.9%; Arizona - 19.6%; and California - 18.6%. Looking at Dept of Homeland Security's estimate of illegal immigrant % of population in 2006 (http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ill_pe_2006.pdf) compared to state pop estim in 2007 from Census data:
* Texas - 1.6 mil (of population of 23.9 mil) --> ~6.7% state pop is illegal imm
* New Mexico - 70,000 (non-governmental org research http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_research1888) (of population of 2.0 mil) --> 3.5% is illegal imm [not sure about the methodology of the other site]
* Arizona - 0.5 mil (of population of 6.3 mil) --> ~7.9%
* California - 2.8 mil (of population of 36.6 mil) --> ~7.7%
If Illegal immigration was the big factor, we'd see Arizona or California worse off, insurance coverage-wise. Insurance affordability is a symptom of the real issue. The real issue is that Texas hasn't done a good job with its economy. Education isn't emphasized, innovation is stifled, and entrenched interests are emphasized. Texas doesn't do enough to build up its human and technology capital, doesn't invest in itself and its kids future, and that's it. When people can get ahead, they'll be able to afford insurance.
I lived in Dallas and worked all over Texas. I love Texas for its spirit and freedom, its texmex and steak, and for my wife and friends. But I'm not keen on how Texas statemen/women in government, churches, and business have rather pointed fingers at each other than led us over the past generation.
#3 Health Care
Most people not need any health care until age 50.
Or later. People can pay for own physicals if they want
them.
I never had a sick day in school or on the job that needed a doctor.
All this Insurance talk sounds like a scam for Insurance Agents
and Medical Unions. Not families.
Once I had to be sewed up due to a glass cut... paid a doctor
20 bucks. Took 5 minutes and a got a shot.
Let each individual decide what medical care they want. My
brother has never been covered by health plan in 65 years.
He just paid a doctor when he needed treatment. Just like
getting dental work.... which government plans do not cover.
Christian Scientists likely want less.
Most young people would rather have beer and cigs and eat
twinkies.
Many poor have money to spend on illegal drugs... billions. And
would rather pay for a cell phone plan than a medical plan.
Just put a tax on junk food to pay for elder care and emergency
rooms.
Or adopt a Sales Tax?
Problem is politicians waste money on welfare and not make
people work for their keep.
Far better to put a cap on what Doctors and Nurses can earn...
Then everyone could afford low cost medical care!
#4 To have or have not!
Just look around the world at any country or even here in America and you will see that dumb people are poor and people that want better in life, no matter their current circumstance, will better themselves if they are not dumb. Being lazy is a choice. If you have a brain and choose to use it you can prosper. Even people that seem drastically physically challenged do great things and prosper. Ever heard of Steven Hawking. How about the countless military heros that have lost limbs. Most of them could quite literally run circles around the lazy, looking for a handout, moochers that will buy $4 a pack cigs every day rather than buy milk and diapers for their own kids.
#5 Uninsured
What a laugh........ these numbers include those who choose to go without insurance. These people think it won't happen to me. What a shame.
#6 your so true
Anonymous, you are right in everything you said. Im not racist or anything, but statistics do not discriminate. I've lived in Houston a couple of years, drive down Montrose and all you see is a bunch of homosexual bums sitting on the sidewalks, pass under I-45 in downtown all these bums just chillin like if nothing is happening. Ever stop at a red light towards Woodridge near Gulfgate area, all these people asking you for money as if you owe them something. Now don't get me wrong, theres a handful of immigrants who come to the US illegally but contribute to society, try to come for education, a better job, raise a family... but many of them come just to have kids, have the government take care of them, and stuff like that, thats the people I want out, bunch of lazy nobodies.
#7 here in Texas
If your white, your the bad guy! No one stops to think in terms of legalized or not, its always racially motivated. I'm white and damn proud to be evil, but ya know i dont care if your black, brown, yellow, skin color doesnt matter, get here legally or go back to where you came from. Im not just talking in terms of mexicans, im including anyone here illegally whose leeching, canadians, australians, germans, european, asians, middle easterners........
If you pay 3 people who are illegal under the table what you would pay 1 person who is legal and on the books, you now have 4 people who cant afford insurance.
#8 what about people in the
what about people in the united states that "leach" off the system?
#9 cant stand them either, but
cant stand them either, but where are you gonna send them? The leeching needs to stop, the people who become baby factories so they get a check, pathetic.
#10 using money from medicare,
using money from medicare, to pay for private insurance. what a waste of time and money. why not just loosen the standards on medicaid, and give people state health insurance. the federal government, and the state government both put money it, why not use it. but I am sure that texas does not put a lot of money into it considering its current representatives. starting next year the state will have a $10 billion + surplus, I think it can afford some health care.