Texas and the Uninsured

Texas' Texas-sized Problem

Texas has long since been one of the states with the highest percentage of residents without health insurance. While the U.S. uninsured rate has hovered at 15% to 16% since 1988, Texas’ uninsured rate has remained at levels at or above 20% during the same time period. Texas, therefore, contains many of the U.S. uninsured. Currently, Texas’ uninsured rate stands at 26%, and more than 6 million people are without insurance in Texas. 

The Texas Market 

Despite the relatively high number of uninsured residents, Texas is widely recognized as having one of the healthiest commercial insurance markets in the country. Insurance carriers report billions of dollars in insurance premiums written in the state. The problem here is therefore not lack of insurance capability, but instead of affordability. Average premium costs in Texas have doubled over the last decade. The average premium for family coverage in 2009 was $13,221.

In 2005, the Texas State Comptroller said, “Texas must make health insurance more affordable and health care for the uninsured more cost-effective. This will require the cooperation of Texas businesses, communities and local, state and federal officials. Business, state and local governments, insurers, health care providers and even consumers must work together to find innovative ways to meet the health care needs of Texans.”

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