The latest blog by W. Stephen Love, president/CEO of the DFW Hospital Council, was posted today on the DCEO Healthcare website. Titled “A Call for Action to the Texas Legislature,” Love details the alarming increase in uninsured residents in Texas.

“The latest Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index showed the uninsured rate in 2017 rose by significant margins in 17 states, with Texas having the highest rate for the 10th straight year at 22.1 percent. The increases signal a frustrating reversal in the trend previously fostered by health insurance markets.

Admittedly, the uninsured rate is still below the high-water mark of 27 percent in 2013, but the numbers are clearly moving in the wrong direction. The recent survey revealed that the biggest reversals were happening in the South and in the 19 states that did not expand Medicaid. Texas, of course, falls into both categories.

If you recall the story from February, a Weatherford school teacher was suffering from the flu. She planned to pick up the flu medication prescribed by her doctor, but she considered the $116 co-pay too expensive, as she needed to buy food for her children. Her symptoms soon escalated, and she was admitted to the hospital where she died.

How many potential cases like this are in Texas? One would hope very few, but when you walk down a street, every fifth person you meet is uninsured. This does not take into account the underinsured who struggle with coverage and access to care, such as the Weatherford teacher.”

You can read the full post here.