Texas leads the nation in the number of people without health insurance, affecting emergency room care and pro-bono hospital services statewide. Texas has quality hospitals, but staffing shortages continue. Substance abuse among young people is still a serious issue. A task force reported findings in 2006 to provide a direction for Texas health care, calling their report "Code Red" to emphasize the emergency.
Health Insurance
Texas ranks 47th in employer-provided health insurance, according to a report from the Texas Office of the Comptroller, using U.S. Census figures. Overall, Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured of any state. The lack of health insurance for Texans creates a burden on the emergency rooms and hospital staffing, since the uninsured often use emergency rooms as the family doctor. The impact of the new national health care provisions on this trend have not yet been studied.
Staffing Issues
There has been a nursing shortage in Texas, and the state has made an attempt to combat this with the Texas Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program to help provide training for nurses. This program has met with some success and the provider-to-patient ratio has improved in Texas, reports the Texas Department of State Health Services. The shortage may increase because of another staffing issue--in the teaching field. Qualified applicants are turned away from nursing programs because of the lack of teaching staff, reports the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. A decrease in nurse practitioners and an increase in physician assistants in recent years provides more specialty care to patients nationwide, according to a report from the University of Texas Division of Health Services Research for the National Institutes of Health.
Health Care
Texas has medical facilities that are outstanding. The Texas Comptroller's study cites U. S. News and World Report numbers that place 13 Texas hospitals on the list of top hospitals in the nation. Good medical care is available to Texans, particularly specialty care. M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston ranks high in cancer care and other areas. Several Texas hospitals rank high in heart care and heart surgery, including Scott & White Hospital in Temple.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is a serious issue with Texas teens, and 63 percent of secondary students questioned in 2008 reported alcohol use at some time in their young lives. Marijuana use was reported by 25 percent. Demographics show students from border schools reported higher use of tobacco, inhalants, alcohol, cocaine, crack and Rohypnol than students living elsewhere in the state.
Significance
The Task Force on Access to Health Care in Texas made recommendations in 2006 in a report entitled "Code Red: The Critical Condition of Health Care in Texas." This bipartisan group recommended "bold steps" to improve health care and expense controls in programs in Texas. More health insurance coverage and better use of federal funds and programs were recommendations. A "quality assurance fee" of three percent was suggested as an assessment on all hospital and free-standing clinic revenues. This would pay for some of the programs and obtain matching federal dollars for Texas, a step many other states have already accomplished.
References
- Code Red Texas: Code Red: The Critical Condition of Health Care in Texas
- Texas Health and Human Services Commission: Demographic and Socioeconomic Statistics/Indicators
- Texas Department of State Health Services: Adolescent Substance Use in Texas
- Office of the Comptroller of Texas: Texas in Focus - A Statewide View of Opportunities
- Texas Department of State Health Services: Supply Trends Among Licensed Health Professionals 1980 - 2009
Member Comments