Texas still slamming reform and trailing in health care

[Regina Dixon]

The Affordable Healthcare Act was upheld by the Supreme Court.  However, Governor Greg Abbott was against the ruling and urged moving to a state that opposes the Affordable Care Act.  He further stated that he would do everything he could to end Obamacare in Texas.  As it is a national program simply moving to avoid the coverage mandate would not suffice.     

Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country and is trailing in the average U.S. enrollment on Healthcare.gov. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 32 percent enrolled this year.  Many states have extended the program to low income adults with federal money paying for majority of the coverage, but there were no statewide initiatives to boost participation in Texas.

I chose this article because the issue of health care is ongoing and not just in Texas.  However, I found it interesting to see what is going on in my own state. I myself went onto the Healthcare.gov site not long after it was launched and weighed options for a couple of family members.  The cost was still quite expensive.  I found myself asking the following question.  What is a person to do that is working for an employer who doesn't offer coverage, making only enough to get by, and is too young for Medicare and too old for Medicaid?  I think that the problem can be addressed by an increase in federal money towards the coverage or requiring ALL employers to offer and contribute to coverage costs regardless of the size of the workforce or number of full time employees, especially since it affects income tax filing for the uninsured person.  There are also people who are unemployed who need coverage.  Yes, they can go to the emergency room and rack up a bill, but who is that really helping. Health care has turned into a business for profit. As a country, we should be trying to find ways to drive down costs and offer free services for those that are legitimately facing hardships as the attitude should be that we are all God's people and everyone's health matters. 

”http://www.dallasnews.com/business/columnists/mitchell-schnurman/20...