Who Supports Medicaid Expansion in Texas?

Progress Texas, in coordination with Texas Well & Healthy, has compiled a list of major organizations, chambers of commerce, and local and county governments that have stated their support for expanding Medicaid in Texas. We will update the list as we discover, identify, and can properly cite additional existing supporters -- and as more and more groups announce their support in the coming weeks and months.

Check out the full list of groups that support Medicaid expansion here.

Progress Texas released the following press statement about the expansive list:

Progress Texas released a list of over 50 chambers of commerce, local governments, trade associations and civic groups from across Texas that have come out in support of Medicaid expansion in Texas in recent months. Progress Texas researched and compiled the list, with sources, and will continue to update the list in the coming weeks and months as more and more groups come out in support of the popular policy.

“Diverse groups from all across Texas support accepting federal funds to insure more Texans through Medicaid,” said Laura Guerra-Cardus, the Texas Associate Director of the Children’s Defense Fund. “Hard-working families need the security of quality health coverage to get the care they need, when they need it, without facing huge medical bills.”

The full list of supporters for Medicaid expansion can be found here: bit.ly/MedicaidSupport

"Accepting the federal dollars that are already available to cover more Texans helps our Texas hospitals have more funds for providing care and save on E.R. costs related to caring for the uninsured,” said Eileen Garcia with Texans Care for Children. “This is a choice that states like Florida and Arizona have already made – to be smart with the health dollars we have, create jobs and bring resources that our local health care systems need to help more people be well and healthy."

Health care groups and coalitions in Texas – including Texas Well & Healthy, Children’s Defense Fund, Texans Care for Children, the Center for Public Policy Priorities, and Cover Texas Now – hope the growing momentum for expanding Medicaid leads to a strong turnout for their “Medicaid Matters” rally at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, March 5th.

“Both organizations and state legislators would do well to get on the right side of history and stand up in support of Medicaid expansion in Texas,” said Phillip Martin, Political Director for Progress Texas.

RESOURCES:

1.      List of supporters for Medicaid expansion: bit.ly/MedicaidSupport 2.      Event details for the March 5th rally: http://texaswellandhealthy.org/march-5/

Since we first published this, a number of groups contacted us to let us know they support Medicaid expansion, and will be releasing statements to that effect in the coming days and weeks. Those groups include:

Medicaid and CHIP are vital to the health and well-being of the state’s poor and low-income families as well as the economic vitality of the state and local governments. Federal healthcare reform provides Texas the opportunity to expand its Medicaid program to cover Texans earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Legacy Community Health Services supports the expansion of the Texas Medicaid program to cover low-income Texans.

Written by: Phillip Martin. Cross-posted from progresstexas.org

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