Health insurance has a unique role in the transformation of the modern healthcare system of the United States. It provides coverage of medical services for a large part of the country’s population. However, there are still questions and concerns about the insurance of such population groups as the elderly and people living below the poverty line. Therefore, this work will explore various insurance options available in Texas, U.S.
First of all, it is necessary to gain an understanding of what health insurance options are available in America. Thus, the most common programs are such as Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare includes the provision of assistance to the population aged 65 and older (“Get started with Medicare,” n.d.). Medicaid is a federal and state program that provides medical coverage for residents with limited resources and wages (“Financial management,” n.d.). At the same time, there are also Employer-based health insurance plans, which are provided to employees directly by their employer (“Employer-based insurance explained,” n.d.). All these initiatives in healthcare provide a great variety and accessibility of medical services for the population. The development of technologies makes it possible to simplify the provision of health services and expand the accessibility of insurance plans.
All listed health insurance plans are provided in the state of Texas. Regarding insurance coverage of the nonelderly population, 52% in the state have Employer-based health insurance plans, 17.4% have Medicaid, and 1.2% are covered by Medicare (“Health insurance coverage of nonelderly 0-64,” 2021). 43% of the underage population is covered by the employer, 38.3% belong to Medicaid, while 14% are without any insurance or use other public organizations (“Health insurance coverage of children 0-18,” 2021). The nonelderly population and children who are below the poverty line are in a slightly different situation. Hence, in the group of adults from 19 to 64, 17% are covered by the employer, which is 35% less than other nonelderly population, 22% by Medicaid, which is 4,6% more than people living above the poverty line, and almost half do not have an insurance plan (“Health insurance coverage of adults 19-64 living in poverty,” 2021). Regarding children, 6.9% belong to Employer insurance, which is 36,1% less than children above the poverty line, almost 75% have Medicaid, and 15% do not have insurance (“Health insurance coverage of children 0-18 living in poverty,” 2021). Therefore, these statistics reflect the state and level of accessibility of the population to medical services in the state of Texas.
When researching various insurance plans, it is necessary to pay attention to sources of funding for Medicare, Medicaid, and Employer-based health insurance plans. Hence, Medicare is funded by two trust fund accounts held by the U.S. Treasury (“How is Medicare funded?” n.d.). Medicaid, in turn, is sponsored by the federal government and states, where the government pays the states a specified percentage of program expenses (“Financial management,” n.d.). Employer-based health insurance plans imply employers subsidize the cost of the insurance, but employees cover it through various payments at work.
In conclusion, this work examined data that provide statistics on health insurance coverage for residents of the state of Texas. Examination showed that adults and children living below the poverty line have less access to health services and have more uninsured individuals. The most popular program is Medicaid, as it includes most of the population from 19 to 64. The data also show that health insurance has affected the development of the medical industry and technology, and every year, the number of program participants is growing.
References
Employer-based insurance explained. (n.d.). KHN. Web.
Financial management. (n.d.). Medicaid.gov. Web.
Get started with Medicare. (n.d.). Medicare.gov. Web.
Health insurance coverage of adults 19-64 living in poverty (under 100% FPL). (2021). KFF. Web.
Health insurance coverage of children 0-18 living in poverty (under 100% FPL). (2021). KFF. Web.
Health insurance coverage of children 0-18. (2021). KFF. Web.
Health insurance coverage of nonelderly 0-64. (2021). KFF. Web.
How is Medicare funded? (n.d.) Medicare.gov. Web.