Holguín: Congress Is About to Make Texas’ Child Health Crisis Even Worse

Texas leads the nation in an area where no state should seek to be first place: the number of uninsured children. In 2023, a shocking 943,000 Texas children lacked health coverage, accounting for 11.9% of all children in the state. This is nearly double the national average of 5.4%, placing Texas dead last in the nation for insuring its young population. 

Now, Congress may make this problem even worse. Republicans in Congress are trying to ram through nearly $800 million in cuts to Medicaid, which would directly affect Texas’ CHIP program. These cuts would mean more children would not have healthcare – at the expense of giving tax cuts to the richest of rich. Our very own RGV Representative, Rep. Monica de la Cruz, has continuously voted for these Medicaid cuts. As of writing this piece, all eyes are on our Texas Senators – Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. Will they vote for the cuts also? 

For 18 consecutive years, Texas has had the highest percentage of uninsured children in the country. The crisis is especially severe among Hispanic families, who make up two-thirds of the state’s uninsured children. The Rio Grande Valley, one of the most economically disadvantaged regions, suffers the worst, with 13% of children going without health coverage—95% of whom are Hispanic/Latino. While Gov. Abbott has been a major culprit in this crisis, our federal elected officials also play a major role in ensuring Texan child have health insurance. 

Texas has failed to take even the most basic steps to address this catastrophe. More than 80% of uninsured children in Texas are eligible for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or federal tax credits to help families afford coverage. However, bloated red tape and unnecessary hurdles keep many of these children from getting the healthcare they qualify for. While other conservative states like Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina have made strides in reducing their uninsured rates, Abbott has put Texas on a path of inaction and neglect.

Under Greg Abbott’s leadership, he has rejected getting $11 billion of our own taxpayer dollars back from the federal government, which would ensure families and children have health insurance. This decision has a direct impact on children’s health coverage: research shows that when parents have insurance, their children are far more likely to be enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. He wants Texas businesses to thrive. Why not our children? Federal elected officials can utilize their significant influence with the Governor to ensure Texas kids have health insurance.

The economic impact of Abbott’s failure to act, coupled with congressional votes by members like Rep. de la Cruz to slash Medicaid funding, is truly staggering. Studies show that for every $1 spent on children’s health insurance, taxpayers save $4 in future public sector costs. Uninsured children are more likely to suffer from untreated chronic conditions, miss school due to illness, and rely on expensive emergency room visits for basic medical care. These factors contribute to poorer educational outcomes and a less productive workforce, ultimately harming the state’s economy. Abbott’s failure to address this issue isn’t just a moral failing; it’s a taxpayer and fiscal disaster.

Texas currently has a record $24 billion budget surplus. We have the resources to ensure our kids are covered—but not leadership. Rather than using that surplus to improve enrollment systems and protect kids’ health, our state’s leaders are sitting idle. And now, with Congress on the verge of severely cutting Medicaid, the silence from the Governor’s Mansion is deafening.

Governor Abbott has had years to address this crisis, yet under his leadership, Texas has remained the worst state in America for children’s health coverage. Now, Senators Cruz and Cornyn can do right by our children by ensuring those who have health coverage are able to keep it. After all, they all constantly preach to “protect Texas children”. Well, here is their chance.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Eric Holguín, Texas state director for UnidosUS. UnidosUS is the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian with the permission of the author.

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