"Texas Left Me Out" Highlights Health Coverage Gap
One million low-income Texans are left out of health coverage because elected leaders in Texas chose politics over what was right for people.
Under the nation's health law, every person is supposed to have a way to get health care coverage. But in Texas, when elected officials refused Medicaid expansion, it left more than one million Texans in a coverage gap. This means people who could have qualified for Medicaid won’t receive the benefits of the new health law – including veterans and their spouses, as well as workers in construction, child care, health care, and service industries. Therefore most of the people taking the newly created jobs in Texas won’t qualify.
This past Wednesday, Progress Texas joined the Texas Organizing Project, the Texas Well and Healthy coalition, and more than 40 health and community organizations to launch "Texas Left Me Out" - a campaign in English and Spanish to collect stories from uninsured Texans left in the coverage gap and connect them with available health care options and advocacy efforts. Here's how you can get involved:
Visit our website to take action - in English at www.TexasLeftMeOut.org, or in Spanish at www.TejasMeDejoAtras.org
Uninsured Texans can also call 866-697-3155 to get connected with someone who can help with health care options.
Text “Leftout” for English or “Cobertura” for Spanish to 30644 to connect to the campaign.
elow is a highlight of press coverage from our campaign roll-out and other press coverage:
TV stories
KVUE: "Working poor Texans struggle in Medicaid, ACA gap" KVUE: “Working poor Texans say they’re left out of health coverage KEYE-TV: "Group Fights to Close Texas Coverage Gap" KENS-TV: "Working poor Texans struggle in Medicaid, ACA gap" KRGV Texas’ real gap: Between heart, politics
National Press
U.S. News: "Health Reform Differs Across States: Report" Talking Points Memo: "Americans Left Out Of Medicaid Fight Back Against GOP Guvs" Think Progress: "‘Texas Left Me Out’: How The Millions Of People Being Denied Medicaid Coverage Are Fighting Back" Daily Kos: "Those in the Medicaid gap start to fight back"
Texas Press
San Antonio Express News: "Activists launch ACA 'coverage gap' initiative" Houston Chronicle: "Coverage gap has mother of 4 worried" Austin American-Statesman: "New group pushes for Medicaid expansion" Texas Tribune: New Campaign Focuses on Texans in "Coverage Gap" Texas Observer: Uninsured Texans Fight to Have Their Voices Heard San Antonio Business Journal: "Texas Left Me Out campaign addressing uninsured Texans" San Antonio Express News: "About 1 million Texans fall into 'coverage gap'" Houston Chronicle: "Outreach focuses on uninsured, including Harris County"
Radio
Houston KPFT 90.1FM: “News coverage of Texas Left Me Out campaign launch” Austin KLBJ-FM
Editorials
Houston Chronicle: "Piling on the poor" San Antonio Express News: "Texas' real gap: Between heart, politics" Burnt Orange Report: “TexasLeftMeOut.org Launches” Eye on Williamson: “Perry and the Texas GOP Left Me Out” Off the Kuff: “Texas Left Me Out” Off the Kuff: “More on Texas Left Me Out” Off the Kuff: “Making the push to sign people up for health insurance
Written by Phillip Martin. Cross-posted from Progress Texas.