FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Lance Lunsford
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[email protected]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Uninsured Rate in Texas Remains Highest in Nation
AUSTIN, Texas—(Feb. 24, 2015) Texas continues to have the highest percentage of residents without health insurance, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. At the end of 2014, 24.4 percent of Texans had no health insurance.
Nationwide, the rate of uninsured continues to decline. Between 2013 and 2014, it fell more than three percentage points to 13.8 percent, the lowest annualized rate across the seven years of Well-Being Index measurement.
Texas, however, continues to lead the nation in its rate of uninsured in large part because the state has rejected new federal funds to develop its own solution to provide greater access to affordable private health insurance for low-wage working Texans. Hospitals and other health care providers, employers, the privately insured and property taxpayers bear the costs of health care services for the uninsured.
“It is unfortunate that state lawmakers continue to allow Texas to lead the nation with so many uninsured residents when they have the opportunity to develop a fiscally responsible alternative,” said Ted Shaw, THA president/CEO. “Such a plan would not only reduce the number of uninsured, it would strengthen the state’s economy and be a more prudent use of taxpayer dollars.”
The Texas Hospital Association and its partners in the business and medical communities support the Texas Way to provide low-wage working Texans with private health insurance that requires personal responsibility and accountability for health care choices. More information is available at www.texasway.com.
About the Texas Hospital Association
Founded in 1930, the Texas Hospital Association is the leadership organization and principal advocate for the state’s hospitals and health care systems. Based in Austin, THA enhances its members’ abilities to improve accessibility, quality and cost-effectiveness of health care for all Texans. One of the largest hospital associations in the country, THA represents more than 85 percent of the state’s acute-care hospitals and health care systems, which employ some 369,000 health care professionals statewide. Learn more about THA at www.tha.org or follow THA on Twitter @texashospitals.