Texas has the lowest percentage of residents with Health Insurance coverage in the country. With only 75% of the residents being insured, this means that one in four residents within the state is unprotected and could be in financial stress in case of a medical emergency. This extremely high percentage of residents lacking health insurance coverage is one of the biggest challenges the state’s Department of Insurance and Department of Health face, and need to work together to lower it, since the state has been the worst state when it comes to health insurance for a long time now.

It’s obvious that Texas needs to improve its percentage of coverage, no matter what, and needs to do changes in policies and plans, to ensure more coverage for residents. A good indicator that this state is trying to turn things around, is the increasing percentage of employers offering health insurance to workers. About 50% of employers are currently offering health benefits, an advantage that 77.5% of workers take from their employers.

Not only Texas needs to increase the percentage of residents protected, but also needs to raise the quality and accessibility of its health system. With only 95 primary care physicians for every 100,000 Texans, and a low percentage of medical care access (only 81% of residents could get medical care if needed within the state), Texas's health care needs to be better, because it’s below the national standards. Federally Qualified Health Centers are available, but not taking care of many of the patients that need help the most, as they only serve about 8% of residents under the 200% FPL.

If you’re looking for a Health Insurance plan that fills you and your family’s needs in Texas, we encourage you to go and check out the site of Texas’ Department of Insurance. They have useful consumer guides, and a list of all licensed insurance companies or agents in which you can confirm the agent or company you plan to buy Health Insurance from.

Health Information:

Health Ranking:  #46
State Health Department Web Site: http://health.state.tn.us/

Texas, which was ranked this year as the 46th healthiest state in America, has many issues that led to the state’s big fall in the rankings. Last year, Texas was the 37th state, but the United Health Foundation has ranked it 9 positions below. This is the first time in over ten years that Texas is in the country’s bottom ten states when it comes to health, which means that measures are needed to regain some of the healthiness lost across the state in the past year, as health has decreased drastically in Texas.

What does Texas need to do to see some improvement when it comes to health? State officials need to enforce health regulations and practices that ensure availability and adequacy of health care across the state. The percentage of residents lacking health insurance needs to be lowered, and the amount of public health funding used per capita across the state needs to rise. If the state works hard on these measures and all the others that are decreasing its health status, Texas could improve.

Health Highlights

• One of the biggest strengths for Texans is their low prevalence of smoking, with only 19.3 percent of the population being smokers.


• Texas has as well a low prevalence of binge drinking, with only 15.0 percent of the residents being binge drinkers.


• The state’s rate of cancer deaths is 15th in the nation at 186.3 deaths per 100,000 residents and a and the infant mortality rate, at 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, is slightly above the national average.

Health Weaknesses

• Key factors that helped in the fall of Texas’ healthiness this year are the great increase in the percentage of children in poverty (25% of the children in the state live in poverty), which is now the second highest in the nation, and the increase in prevalence of smoking within the state, which still is one of the state’s lowest indicators but is rising dramatically.


• Another weakness is the high percentage of residents lacking health insurance. 25% of Texans do not have health insurance coverage, the worst number in the nation.


• Texas has a very low public health funding per capita (only $47 per person), a very low rate of ready primary health care (95 primary care physicians per 100,000 Texans), as well as high geographical disparity and many unnecessary hospitalizations.


• Other challenges for Texas are the high incidence of infectious disease (23.8 cases per 100,000 residents), a high incidence of obesity, and a low percentage of children graduating high school four years (only 74%).

Texas Health Insurance Quotes

In order to save on health insurance in Texas and find the best match for your personal coverage needs, you need more information than any one health insurance company can provide. You need to be able to review quotes from a broad range of Texas health insurance companies and see how their plan rates and benefits stack up. That is why we enable you to choose from a broad range of insurance companies and health insurance plans available in Texas.

Texas Health Insurance News

As a resident of Texas, it’s always important to be informed of the latest events and news regarding Health Insurance in your state. Here are some of the latest headlines that mention Health Care and Health Insurance related topics for Texas:

Texas Insurance and Department of Health Information

If you have any additional questions or need special assistance, feel free to visit or contact Texas’s Insurance Department and Department of Health directly:

Texas Department of Insurance
P.O. Box 149104
Austin, TX 78714-9104
Phone: (512) 463-6169
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/

Tennessee Department of Health
Cordell Hull Building
425 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-7305
http://health.state.tn.us/