Texas continues to have the highest uninsured rate in the nation, but as a result of pandemic-era Medicaid policies, Texas did make historic gains in health insurance coverage. Despite those gains, a new report finds that unless action is taken, as many as 700,000 Texans could lose health insurance coverage, increasing the uninsurance rate by at least 2 percentage points across the state.
In the new report, two Texas A&M faculty members, Laura Dague from the Bush School and Benjamin Ukert from the School of Public Health, estimated the gains in Medicaid coverage and the expected losses in caseload when the policies expire, as well as the fiscal impacts for Texas. Episcopal Health Foundation sponsored the underlying research for the report.
See The Takeaway, “Medicaid & the Public Health Emergency: Implications for Texas” Issue Brief
The Takeaway issue brief summarizes the results of their research and lists several policies and administrative actions that would help maintain Texas’ health coverage gains as these temporary Medicaid policies end. Unless action is taken, they estimate that 700,000 Texans could lose health insurance coverage, increasing the uninsurance rate by at least 2 percentage points.
This report follows up on a 2020 policy brief, “Medicaid Expansion’s Impact in Texas,” that explored the financial and health coverage impacts related to Texas’ choice not to expand Medicaid. EHF also sponsored that report.
One of the authors of both studies, Laura Dague, notes that, “These results are especially important given that the bipartisan year-end omnibus bill ends Medicaid’s continuous eligibility policy effective April 1, 2023, so redeterminations will begin very soon and people could begin to lose coverage starting in April.”
The Takeaway is a publication of the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy at the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University.
