Editorial: Kids should have health care in a prosperous Texas

For all of the talk about our healthy economy, reflected in booming job creation numbers and a surge in new construction, one metric suggests a sickliness under the surface: the growing number of young children without basic health care coverage.

A distressing report this month showed Texas has nearly 200,000 children under age 6 who lack health insurance, with a rate of uninsured youngsters (8.3%) that's nearly twice the national average. Worse, the ranks of uninsured kids under age 6, once on the decline, have been growing over the past couple of years.

In 2016, 1 in 14 young children in Texas didn't have health insurance.

Last year, it was 1 in 12, according to a report by Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute.

The report's authors note this is a particularly troubling trend "during a time of economic growth when more children should be gaining health care coverage" (emphasis added). In our view, these numbers are the entirely predictable outcome of Texas' stubborn refusal to expand Medicaid, the state's harmful practice of kicking some kids off Medicaid midyear, and the cuts in federal grants and state outreach efforts that previously helped families obtain coverage.

In short, these numbers show how children's access to health care suffers when our elected officials fail to make them a priority. They challenge us to rethink what it means for Texas to be prosperous.

Access to health care is particularly vital for children under 6, as experts recommend 15 well-child visits during those critical years of rapid brain development and physical growth.

During those visits, children get vaccinations to avoid debilitating diseases. We all have a public health interest in that, particularly with diseases like measles making an alarming comeback.

Doctors also check to see if children are lagging on certain developmental milestones. Flagging and treating problems early, perhaps with speech or physical therapy, means those kids are less likely to fall behind once they get to school.

In fact, studies have shown that having access to health care can, over the long term, lead to improved reading scores, decreased high school dropout rates and a greater likelihood of completing college -- all paving the way for higher earning potential. Why? Children are less likely to miss school and struggle academically when they get the health care they need.

Doctors' visits are also valuable opportunities for adults to receive parenting information, and in some cases they could provide an opening for identifying postpartum depression or other health issues in the family.

Ensuring all children, regardless of their family's financial circumstances, have access to basic health care should be a goal we all share. What will it take for Texas' lawmakers to make it happen?

Cover Texas Now, a coalition of organizations pushing for better health care coverage, finds signs for optimism in the fact that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen have both directed committees to examine ways to reduce Texas' uninsured rate, with the goal of discussing legislation in the 2021 session. That is an encouraging sign, and one we haven't seen in the run-up to the last few legislative sessions.

The real question is whether Texas lawmakers have the political willpower to move forward with meaningful solutions.

We have repeatedly urged Texas leaders to expand Medicaid as 37 other states have. As it is now, Texas has left billions of federal dollars for Medicaid expansion on the table, and the Lone Star State remains home to 1 in 5 Americans under 18 who are uninsured.

Lawmakers should also halt the surprise spot checks for eligibility that lead to kids getting kicked off Medicaid at random points in the year. Proving eligibility once a year during enrollment, at a predictable time for parents to gather their paperwork, should suffice.

Finally, Texas lawmakers should reinvest in the proven outreach efforts to help qualifying residents sign up for Medicaid or CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program. The Trump administration slashed many of these grants, but state leaders should recognize the value of helping struggling families access a much-needed hand-up.

Improving access to health care -- not withholding it -- is the best way to support a strong, prosperous future for Texans.

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