2022 HEALTH CARE EDITION
Medicaid enrollment in Brazoria and Galveston counties declined over the course of 2019 but rose rapidly during the coronavirus pandemic. SOURCES: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES, U.S. CENTERS OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
which would signi cantly reduce available funds for existing state pro- grams and property tax relief. States who have expanded Medicaid have also seen increased costs over origi- nal estimates, so Texas may end up having to pay even more than pres- ently estimated,” said state Rep. Cody Vasut, R Angleton. “Medicaid expansion also does not necessarily equal expanded access to care. Many providers in Texas do not accept new Medicaid patients.” State Rep. Ed Thompson, R Pearland, whose district includes northern Bra- zoria County, declined to comment on the issue. Johnson said even if Medicaid is not expanded, there are things that can be done at the legislative level to improve the system. “I think more and more legislators are realizing that even if we don’t expand Medicaid, there are improve- ments to the current system that can be made,” she said.
JOINING THE ROLLS
MEDICAID ENROLLMENT BRAZORIA COUNTY GALVESTON COUNTY
53,078
60K
37,980
37,734
45K
49,380
30K
38,275
37,635
March 2020-October 2021 TEXAS: +31.2% BRAZORIA COUNTY: +39.8% GALVESTON COUNTY: +31.2%
MARCH 2020: Federal government declares COVID-19 public health emergency, announces Medicaid unenrollment freeze
15K
0
JAN. MARCH MAY JULY SEPT. NOV. 2019
JAN. MARCH MAY JULY SEPT. NOV. 2020
JAN. MARCH MAY JULY SEPT. 2021
compared to 20.9% in Texas. Researchers with Texas A&M Uni- versity released a study into the eco- nomic e ects of Medicaid expansion in 2019. The study found expanding Medic- aid would make almost 13,300 more people eligible in Brazoria and Gal- veston counties and result in almost
10,000 new enrollments. This would come at a cost of around $55.6 mil- lion each to the federal government and $6.1 million each to Texas. Ahead of the next legislative ses- sion, which will kick o in Janu- ary, several local representatives said Medicaid is top of mind. Those opposed to expansion said Texas
would still be on the hook for about $500 million in program costs and questioned the e ects it would have on improving health care outcomes in the state. “Medicaid expansion is not fully funded by the federal government. Texas would have to pay for about 10% of the additional program costs,
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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PEARLAND FRIENDSWOOD EDITION • JUNE 2022
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