Texas has the highest percentage of medically uninsured of any state in the country and could gain the most from recent national health care reform. Conservative Texas politicians, however, have been the most outspoken against the legislation. Texas is an example of the conflicts that arise when politics and policy clash as powerful special interest groups open their purses.
With the highest percentage of uninsured in the country, low public health funding, and high rates of infectious diseases, Texas is truly in a healthcare crisis. Yet, Texas has become the front line for the fight against health care reform.
No politician has been more outspoken than Gov. Rick Perry, who threatened to secede from the union because of national healthcare reform and happens to be a top recipient of campaign contributions from health professionals and insurance companies.
Perry hypes his state against Washington's policies but hides its staggering public health problems.
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Jessica Porter is a second year graduate student majoring in Broadcast Journalism. She has a special interest reporting on politics and social issues. This past summer Porter made her first documentary about a young refugee from Zimbabwe.
"Texas in Crisis" is a short piece explaining how many are uninsured in Texas and who is leading the fight against health care reform in the state
State Rep. Elliott Naishtat - Impact of new legislation
Anne Dunkleburg - Demographics of the uninsured
State Rep. Garnet Coleman - Influencing healthcare legislation
Rebecca Ramirez - Medical care for the uninsured
Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured in the nation. This scorecard compares health statistics of the five states with the highest percentage of uninsured to the five states with the lowest percentage of uninsured.
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This map shows the cost of Medicare reimbursements in Texas by hospital referral region, according to the 2007 Dartmouth Health Atlas study.
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