Just not in a good way.
One out of every four Texans lacks health insurance, the highest percentage of uninsured residents in any state in the nation, according to new Census Bureau figures.
The findings are part of a report that shows the ranks of the uninsured nationwide swelled by 2.4 million last year as insurance costs kept rising and more Americans lost their jobs and health care coverage.
The number of people without health insurance the entire year rose to 43.6 million, a jump of almost 6 percent from 2001 and the second consecutive annual increase, the Census Bureau said. The percentage of Americans without health coverage rose from 14.6 to 15.2.
In Texas, the percentage of uninsured increased from 23.2 to 24.7 based on two-year averages. The 1.5 percent increase was among the highest in the nation.
New Mexico was the only other state to crack 20 percent at 20.9.
Somewhere, the state of Mississippi is laughing at us.
It’s worth noting, however, that New Mexico was the only state where health coverage has expanded!
My prediction is that, after the full impact of the recession is felt (since the data are two-year averages), and after the impact of even-further cuts in Medicaid by the 78th legislature becomes evident, next year’s figures will get even worse.
I’m guessing 26 percent without coverage by next year in Texas.
(The national average was 15.2 percent).