Report: Three of Nation’s Most Uninsured Counties in East Texas
Posted/updated on: August 7, 2013 at 12:11 pm
LONGVIEW — Three of the nation’s most uninsured counties are in Northeast Texas, according to a report by the American Center for Progress: Titus, Henderson, and Cherokee counties. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, the report concludes that 22 of the 30 most uninsured counties in the nation are in Texas, where six million people are uninsured. That is the highest state rate in the country, according to the report. The group urged Congress to stop trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Starting Oct. 1, Texans will be able to purchase insurance through a federal exchange. The individual mandate requiring all Americans to have health insurance goes into effect in January 2014. “The first thing we want to do is create an environment where we can have a healthier Texas,” said Phillip Martin, Deputy Director of Progress Texas. “If you get healthcare coverage, you can get taken care of when you’re sick. It’s very simple.”
The 30 most uninsured counties were determined by five key factors, according to the report: overall uninsured, uninsured among women, uninsured among all those 18-39; uninsured men 18-39 and uninsured among those earning 138 and 400 percent of the federal poverty line. Dallas County — with 31 percent — was cited as the most uninsured in Texas.
