Medicaid expansion picks up bipartisan support in the Texas House, but hurdles remain – By Karen Brook Harper (Texas Tribune) / April 21 2021
Expanding the Medicaid rolls to include more than a million Texans could get a floor vote during House budget hearings on Thursday.
When a neighbor’s dog nipped her hand near the fingernail last winter, Trish W. put off going to the doctor because it didn’t seem worth the dent it would put in her already tight budget.
It wasn’t until her hand swelled to the point where her finger nearly burst that she finally gave in.
The doctor told Trish, a 33-year-old from Canyon Lake who has a genetic blood disorder that hinders her ability to fight bacteria, that she’d narrowly escaped deadly sepsis and that she could have lost her hand. The hospital kept her overnight to be sure. She later received a $2,000 bill that she couldn’t afford.
“Of course as a single mother, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I might not leave this hospital,’” said Trish, who asked that her last name not be used in order to protect her family’s privacy. “‘This could be the last time I see my kid.’ And that’s terrifying.”
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