Analysts: Texas loses big by rejecting Medicaid expansion
From the perspective of community health leaders in Cameron County, the states refusal to participate in Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act means passing up a golden opportunity to widen health insurance access to the most vulnerable members of the population.
According to an analysis from the nonpartisan Center for Public Policy Priorities, Cameron County would be able to reduce its population of uninsured residents from 27.8 percent to 13.7 percent if Texas participated in Medicaid expansion. Cameron County has nearly 113,000 uninsured residents out of a total population of more than 415,000.
Statewide, nearly 1.5 million additional Texans living below the poverty line would have insurance by 2017 under expansion, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
The county will also miss out on more than $198 million in new Medicaid funds each year through 2017, according to the CPPP report. Thats enough money to support 1,089 primary care physicians and 2,936 registered nurses in the county each year, according to the report.
Statewide, Texas will forfeit an estimated $100 billion in federal Medicaid funds by rejecting Medicaid expansion.
From the perspective of community health leaders in Cameron County, the states refusal to participate in Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act means passing up a golden opportunity to widen health insurance access to the most vulnerable members of the population.
According to an analysis from the nonpartisan Center for Public Policy Priorities, Cameron County would be able to reduce its population of uninsured residents from 27.8 percent to 13.7 percent if Texas participated in Medicaid expansion. Cameron County has nearly 113,000 uninsured residents out of a total population of more than 415,000.
Statewide, nearly 1.5 million additional Texans living below the poverty line would have insurance by 2017 under expansion, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
The county will also miss out on more than $198 million in new Medicaid funds each year through 2017, according to the CPPP report. Thats enough money to support 1,089 primary care physicians and 2,936 registered nurses in the county each year, according to the report.
Statewide, Texas will forfeit an estimated $100 billion in federal Medicaid funds by rejecting Medicaid expansion.
