skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Study: Texas Forfeits $5.4 Billion without Medicaid Expansion

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 6, 2020   

AUSTIN, Texas -- As states grapple with financial shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic, a new study shows just how much Texas could benefit by expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Study lead Laura Dague, associate professor in the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M, said at current funding rates, Medicaid expansion in Texas could bring in $5.4 billion in new federal spending and provide health coverage to nearly 1 million Texans, with little cost to the state.

Dague said the unexpected health crisis illustrates how expanding Medicaid could help lower-income Texans.

"Medicaid is the kind of program that can make a big difference in a pandemic - especially as, going forward, where hopefully we'll develop better treatments, and thinking about how people are going to pay for those things," Dague said.

Without health insurance, people typically forgo preventive care, and head to an emergency room when they're sick, creating a financial burden for the state and taxpayers. Research for the study was compiled by the Bush School of Government and Public Service and sponsored by the Episcopal Health Foundation.

Texas is one of 12 states that hasn't expanded Medicaid since becoming eligible to do so with passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. As a result, Texas has the nation's highest rate and total number of uninsured individuals.

Dauge said many Texans earning minimum wage are too poor to qualify for an ACA tax credit, but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid under the state's strict eligibility criteria.

"So, we have a really big eligibility gap in Texas that a lot of people in working families can fall into," she said. "And that's one of the reasons we have a high uninsured rate relative to other states."

Dague worries when the COVID-19 vaccine is available, the cost will be out of reach for some Texans.

In 2019, a federal judge in Texas invalidated the Affordable Care Act, although the law remains in effect awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Disclosure: Episcopal Health Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Mental Health, Philanthropy, Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021