Texas Community Hospital Drought, Perry-Burgess Send Water Away

Consider the impact of Texas' growing legion of uninsureds on nonprofit, safety net hospitals and providers, given uninsured drought got worse last year.

The 2012 uninsured rate in Texas was 28.8 percent, or nearly three in 10 adults — an all-time high. In 2011, 27.6 percent of adults in Texas were without health insurance.

Louisiana, the No. 2 uninsured spot, has 24 percent of residents without coverage, but the 4.8 percentage points between that state and Texas qualifies as "the largest number separating these two spots on record."

Note:  Texas pulled away from neighbor Louisiana in the uninsured horse race.

There are no rain clouds on the horizon for uninsured Texans.  Governor Perry went on offense, determined to extend his twelve year string of ignoring the problem.  Joining Perry was Dr. Michael Burgess, an OB/GYN who practiced for years at a for-profit HCA hospital in Lewisville.

Nonprofit, safety net hospitals in Texas work hard to survive amidst a scorching earth.  By refusing federal money for Medicaid expansion, Perry and Burgess sent away the water trucks.  They closed their opinion piece with:

"No one cares more about the health of Texans than Texans."  

I.e., Perry and Burgess don't care.