Dr. Mark Thoma: Texas' Other Death Penalty
Texas is just one of the states that has refused to open up to Obamacare, and has refused federal funds to expand Medicaid. Local and state Republican officials are insisting that uninsured Texans (possibly 25% of the population) prefer to try to get into vanishing, overcrowded free clinics. Or they go to local emergency rooms, and later face staggering bills.
Or they do without care altogether.
The author of the article cites statistics that upwards of 9,000 Texans will die EACH YEAR as a result of the fantasy safety net that only conservatives seem to be able to see, but of course don’t have to actually access themselves. If they DID need to use it, there would be screams of outrage from the right wing.
Part of the reason is that local hospitals, in this case the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), which used to provide free or low cost care to those who were desperate, is shutting off these services. UTMB used to be a state-supported “charity hospital.” But that has changed. And it’s not just that hospital, but others in the area, as well. Many hospitals, that used to offer some amount of free or lower cost care to the uninsured or underinsured, are providnig that service less and less. They’re feeling the economic squeeze and are cutting back as much as they can.
http://americablog.com/2013/11/texas-death-penalty-health-care-texas.html
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