Conservative Paper Calls For Texas To Act On Obamacare

Texas has the highest percentage and largest number of citizens without health insurance. That was true before Obamacare was passed, and it is still true. The reason is because Texas refused the expand Medicaid (which left at least a million and a half people with no way to get health insurance). Now, thanks to the Supreme Court case of King vs Burwell, another million people could lose their health insurance. That's because that case, if decided the wrong way, could take the federal insurance subsidies away from anyone not getting their insurance through a state exchange -- and Texas has refused to set up a state exchange.

Unfortunately, the right-wing Texas legislature is very unlikely to create a state exchange (and has already shown they have no intention to expand Medicaid). This putting ideology over what is good for the citizens of Texas is so ridiculous that even some conservatives are now speaking out. That includes the traditionally very conservative Dallas Morning News -- one of the largest newspapers in the state. Here is what their editorial board recently wrote and published:

Regardless of your politics, the possibility that fellow Texans and millions more Americans nationwide who bought insurance under the Affordable Care Act could return to the ranks of the uninsured is a serious matter.

Yet this is what is at stake when the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments Wednesday in King vs. Burwell. More than 1 million Texans who now have health insurance through federally run exchanges may not be allowed to keep their coverage.

Imagine the devastating effect if the cost of your health care premiums tripled, which could happen if the federal subsidies many count on suddenly disappear. Most people eligible for subsidies have modest incomes; many would be unable to afford any coverage without financial help, adding to the ranks of the uninsured.

Texas already leads the nation in the number of uninsured residents; the state doesn’t need to toss more people into health care limbo.

However, if the Supreme Court hands down a problematic Burwell ruling, Texas lawmakers can ease the shock. State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, recently introduced HB 817 as a safety net. If the court says Texans can’t receive subsidies through federally run exchanges, the bill would automatically trigger the creation of a state-run health care exchange that would allow Texans to continue to receive federal subsidies and keep their existing coverage.

The legal issue before the court is whether people who live in states like Texas that did not establish a state-run health care exchange are eligible to receive federal tax subsidies. Last spring, two federal appeals courts reached opposite conclusions. One court said the subsidies applied to Americans in all states; the other said they applied only to consumers in states that operated their own health care exchanges.

This newspaper understands some of the opposition to the Affordable Care Act — and, in fact, questioned the program’s cost as the bill originally moved through Congress. However, it is now law. Millions have based their insurance decisions on the program; a ruling would affect people of all political stripes in every House and Senate district. The well-being of those who enrolled should be protected.

Turner’s bill addresses only part of Texas’ broader health care challenge under the Affordable Care Act. Texas lawmakers also need to reform Medicaid eligibility so the state can draw extra federal dollars to cover the large percentage of uninsured low-income residents — as a number of Texas business groups have urged. Unfortunately, in a letter to President Barack Obama, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Senate Republicans on Monday reiterated their opposition to expanding Medicaid while demanding that the federal government allow Texas to make sweeping changes in the Medicaid program. This appears to be a nonstarter.

Texas must begin to solve its myriad health care challenges. Turner’s bill is a pragmatic way to keep a looming problem from becoming a nightmare. It deserves bipartisan support.