New Report Shows Why Texas Needs Health Reform

A new report from the Center for American Progress Action Fund shows just how much Texans stand to benefit from Obamacare. Though some members of Congress are yet again pushing to repeal the nation’s health law, the law will help reduce the number of uninsured people and prevent insurance companies from denying care to people with pre-existing conditions, along with lots of other benefits.

Among the report’s findings, as our friends at Progress Texas have noted, 22 of the 30 counties nationwide that will benefit most from the Affordable Care Act are here in Texas. The 30 counties were selected because they had some of the highest rates of uninsured people and some of the worst health-related outcomes. A Texas Tribune report on the study mentions that about 40 percent of Texas' uninsured, more than 1 million people, are expected to receive coverage next year through the health insurance marketplace. Most will get tax credits to help them pay for that coverage, too.

Phillip Martin from Progress Texas says each of the 22 Texas counties that will benefit the most have a population over 25,000:

Burnet  ♦   Cameron  ♦   Cherokee  ♦   Cooke  ♦   Dallas  ♦   Ector  ♦   El Paso Henderson  ♦   Hidalgo♦   Hopkins  ♦   Kerr  ♦   Matagorda  ♦   Maverick  ♦   Navarro Polk  ♦   Potter  ♦   Starr  ♦   Titus  ♦   Val Verde  ♦   Waller  ♦   Webb   ♦   Wharton

Today, the House of Representatives is expected to vote for the 40th time to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But this is no time to refight old political battles. We need to look forward and focus on helping Texans get the coverage they need.

Written By: Laura Brubaker, Engage Texas