Texas got some breathing room when the federal government decided last week to continue sending Medicaid money for health care for some of the state’s residents without private insurance.
But it’s not a permanent fix, and the state still has to work out solutions for uninsured Texans, the state of rural hospitals and other issues.
Texas is one of a dozen states that hasn’t expanded its Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act. It’s a financially attractive federal match — the state would get roughly 90 cents for every dime invested — that has been the bane of Republicans in Texas from the moment of its inclusion in what some of them still refer to as Obamacare.
It’s also the state with the highest number of uninsured residents: 4.9 million, according to the latest American Community Survey data for 2020 from the U.S. Census Bureau. That was 17.3% of the population — also the highest in the country.
Source: Analysis: Texas gets a respite on Medicaid, but not a cure for the uninsured / The Texas Tribune