AUSTIN (Nexstar) — After years of backlogs that have delayed hundreds of thousands of applications for healthcare and food assistance, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is requesting urgent resources from the state to increase efficiency and avoid federal penalties.
Nearly 233,000 applications for Medicaid are overdue and out of compliance with federal timeliness standards, HHSC told Nexstar on Thursday. The average wait time for Texas Works Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program is 71 days — nearly a month longer than the federal requirement.
“It means kids are waiting three to four months before they can go see a doctor, get on medication that would help them, so they can focus and get back at school,” said Diana Forester, Director of Health Policy at the nonpartisan advocacy group Texans Care for Children. “It creates more emergencies, which is more costly.”
Source: HHSC asks for hundreds of millions to reduce Medicaid, SNAP delays / KXAN