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Home>Health Insurance> Dallas Morning News Series Examines Health Insurance Coverage In Texas
Dallas Morning News Series Examines Health Insurance Coverage In Texas
The Dallas Morning News is publishing a three-part series examining the absence of health insurance coverage for one in four Texans -- the highest percentage of people without coverage compared with other states. Summaries of the first two articles appear below.
- Children's dental care: When Texas cut dental benefits from its SCHIP program in 2003, thousands of low-income parents could not find affordable dental care for their children, the Dallas Morning News reports. Although legislation restoring the benefits passed in the spring of 2005, coverage has not been made available because negotiations with a dental provider have been extended. Children are not expected to receive SCHIP dental care benefits until at least April 1. There are an estimated 395,000 children in Dallas County who lack dental coverage. In addition, half of the 2.26 million Texas children who qualify for Medicaid do not receive dental care because not many dentists accept Medicaid beneficiaries because of the high amount of paperwork and low reimbursement rates. For children, cavities that go untreated and dental infections can create chronic low-grade pain and occasional high-grade pain, causing them to be inattentive, less likely to sleep soundly or eat fully, and unable to learn well. If the conditions continue throughout adulthood, heart disease and heart conditions are known to be linked to dental infections (Thomas, Dallas Morning News, 1/15).
- Refugees: Under the federal 1996 Welfare Reform Act, refugees who arrive in the U.S. have seven years to become U.S. citizens or lose their eligibility for federal assistance, which gives them access to health care and financial support, the Dallas Morning News reports. Many of the oldest and sickest refugees are not becoming U.S. citizens, contributing to a small but growing group of refugees who have no health coverage. In 2004, 156 people in Texas and 4,392 nationwide became ineligible for health care, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Social Security Administration estimates that 45,000 refugees could lose their care by 2011. In response, Congress is considering legislation to increase the cutoff by two years as a temporary measure (Thomas, Dallas Morning News, 1/22).
Reporter Karen Thomas worked on the series while a Kaiser Family Foundation media fellow.
"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . ?2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
 
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