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Comment by pjlegato | Hacker News Reader

Sounds like your issue is with Texas, then, not with America.

Why perpetuate crude and inaccurate stereotypes that smear and disparage America in general? America is spending a huge amount of money every year precisely on providing healthcare for the poor.

Besides which, it looks like Medicaid does indeed operate in Texas, which is discoverable in less than 10 seconds of Internet searching: https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/abou...

And, seperately, Obamacare's marketplace works nationally, including in Texas: "More Texans than ever before enrolled in ACA health plans in 2024"[1]

[1] https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/24/texas-aca-health-ins...

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Have you considered perhaps that because I live in Texas, I know a bit more about those programs than you who have just googled and linked the top results? And that perhaps because I live in Texas, I indeed have issues with Texas (still a part of America in spite of the wishes of some on the right wing)?

From your own article (I knew this stat would be in there):

> Currently, Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured residents with nearly 5 million people living here without health insurance coverage, nearly double the national average.

Why do you think so many are uninsured if it is so simple for them to get health coverage?

You said giving a fake name at the ER was the only option for poor AMERICANS to obtain healthcare.

That is categorically false, and testifes to some sort of deep seated bias against our own country profoundly embedded in your worldview -- one which extends all the way to glib counterfactual promotion of verifiably false information about the country and its supposed moral shortcomings.

2) Texas has a much larger population than 49 of the other 50 states -- about 30 million, higher than any state but California. Of course the number of uninsured residents will be higher than the national average. You didn't control for uninsured per capita.

Why are so many uninsured if it's possible (I didn't say easy) for them to get coverage? Probably, a large part of the reason is people who go around promoting the (completely false) common trope that "poor Americans just can't get health coverage, the government does nothing for them."

Pretty sure my buddy is an American - I've known him almost all my life. I'm quite sure he's poor - he asks me for money a bit more than I'd like. The fake name thing was just a strategy he developed after going to the ER due to a blow to the head which caused him to forget his name; I'm sure there are many creative ways to get healthcare, but most of the of poor Texans (whom I'm also pretty sure are Americans considering I'm related to a few of them) I've known just go to the ER and ignore the bills. It's probably not the best system, but it's the one we've got I guess.

As to point 2) I thought about including the info in my previous comment, but it wasn't in your own source material and I'm a bit lazy. So here, I'll do it in this one.

> Texas is still the state with the highest percentage of uninsured residents, at nearly 17 percent, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau survey released Thursday. [0]

[0]https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/14/census-bureau-texas-...

Speaking as a Texan (also pretty sure I'm American) who lives with some disability, I can tell you that I've looked at the systems and it's a real fear of mine that I'll end up as one of these statistics.

Well hi, also fellow Texan here. State law requires hospitals to take in and treat any patient with injuries “incompatible with life”. This means a fake name is unnecessary, you can give the same name. You may be asked about a previous bill but that will in no way preclude you from getting treatment.

I’m pretty sure there is a moral to this story..

> Why do you think so many are uninsured if it is so simple for them to get health coverage?

High numbers of people who have illegally immigrated and are worried about getting into programs subsidized by the government which might result in questions about residency status leading to deportation?

High rates of misinformation surrounding the costs of insurance and availability of welfare programs in the state?

I just looked up getting a plan in Texas. 40 year old male non-smoker in Texas earning $45k/yr can get insurance for $128/mo. They're eligible for an HSA, so they can put tax-free savings that roll over every year into an investment account to help cover the $7,400 deductible. PCP and preventative care visits are free. Generic drugs are $10. Urgent care out of pocket is $160. Other plans have slightly higher premiums but much lower deductibles, some have different co-pays.

Yes - my plan if ever separated from employer insurance is to manipulate my income and expenses (I have significant investments I can draw upon and access to a family real estate portfolio that allows me to live rent-free) in order to get the full subsidy. Most people are not like me however; my buddy has several times had his car impounded for not paying car insurance. I don’t think health insurance will make the cut in his budget.

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