Governor Perry and Republicans refuse to expand Medicaid to uninsured
By: Jose G. Landa
An Exclusive Eagle Pass Business Journal News Story/Copyright 2013
The 83rd Texas Legislature closed it regular session on Monday, May 27, 2013, without approving Medicaid expansion to over 1.8 million uninsured and poor Texans under the Affordable Care and Patient Act of 2010 as Texas Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant David Dewhurst, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, and the Texas super-majority Republican Party in both the Texas Senate and House of Representatives effectively blocked legislation denying this important health care benefit to its own Texas citizens.
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured citizens among all of the 50 states in the United States with a 24 % total and the most number of persons who are uninsured with 6.1 million in the Lone Star state. Governor Perry and the Texas Republican legislators have arbitrarily and unconscionably denied the fundamental right of over 1.8 million Texans to affordable health care services and access to health care services overall. Perry and the Republican Party are risking that these 1.8 million uninsured and poor Texans and their extended families are not going to vote in the 2014 and 2016 elections.
The conservative and Republican-leaning Texas Medical Association and the Texas Hospital Association both approved resolutions requesting Texas expand Medicaid to its 1.8 uninsured citizens and lobbied the Republican leadership to change its mind because Texas health care providers and economy stands to lose over $100 Billion in federal Medicaid benefits during the next 10 years.
The Texas Democratic Party supported and lobbied for Medicaid expansion to uninsured Texans. Democrats contend it is unconscionable for Governor Perry and the Republican leaders to deny 1.8 million Texans their fundamental right to access to affordable health care services.
These 1.8 million Texans and their extended families, friends, and health care providers have vowed to remember Governor Perry and the Texas Republican Party at the 2014 and 2016 election polls when the time comes. Texas’ uninsured and poor contend that Perry and Republicans are inhumane and do not care about Texans’ health care and well-being and will live to regret this great political miscalculation and decision.
As a result of Texas not expanding Medicaid to its uninsured and poor citizens, Texans will have to pay larger health insurance premiums, higher taxes to offset the loss of federal Medicaid benefits, higher health care costs, and may suffer job losses and unemployment within the health care industry.
There are only a few hundred days left before the 2014 Texas general election. You can count that the 1.8 million uninsured and poor Texans who were denied Medicaid expansion and their families and friends will be present and cast their ballots in November of 2014.
