Texas Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Texas?

Texas fell nine spots – from 37th in 2007 to 46th – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• The state's top ranking (15th) was in the category measuring the number of deaths due to all causes of cancer.
• The state's infant mortality rate has improved since 1990, dropping from 9.3 to 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• The infant mortality rate is also on the decline since 1990, falling 47 percent – from 10.7 to 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The bad news:

• Texas was dead last of the 50 states when it came to health insurance coverage, with 24.9 percent of the state's population lacking the insurance.
• Just one state – Mississippi – had a lower ranking when it came to children in poverty. One-fourth of Texas kids were identified as living in a household classified as being below the poverty threshold. That's up from 22.6 percent in 1990.
• The prevalence of smoking increased slightly from 2007, while obesity continued a steady rise to 28.6 percent of the population – up from 12.3 percent in 1990.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Cancer deaths – 15th
• Prevalence of smoking – 19th
• Prevalence of binge drinking – 20th
• Geographic disparity – 40th
• Poor physical health days – 41st
• Public health funding – 42nd
• Number of primary care physicians – 42nd
• Infectious disease – 44th
• Children (under 18) in poverty – 49th
• Lack of health insurance – 50th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Texas.

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Does Texas have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool
1-888-398-3927

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

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Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Texas

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Texas and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Texas.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

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USNews health insurance rankings for Texas

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Texas.

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Official State Goverment Sites with Texas Health Insurance Information



Texas Department of Insurance -- the health care section of the Department's Web site, with consumer information and more.

Texas Children's Health Insurance Program -- state families with uninsured children may be eligible for health coverage through Medicaid and the Texas CHIP. Includes regular checkups and dental care.

Texas Medicaid Program -- the State and Federal cooperative venture that provides medical coverage to eligible needy persons.

Advocacy

Health Care for All Texas -- one out of four people in Texas is uninsured -- the worst in the nation. This group is promoting univeral health care for all Texans, and has a resolution for a ballot initiative on the 2008 Democratic primary in March.

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Health Care Advocacy Groups in Texas

Health Care For All Texas – is a grassroots coalition that believes health care is a human right and that every person in the state of Texas deserves access to high-quality health care at an affordable cost.

San Antonio Healthcare-Now Coalition, – an affiliate of the national Healthcare-Now organization, works to achieve universal access to affordable healthcare.