Editor’s note: the story has been updated to correct that HHSC does not plan to increase staff hours at its 2-1-1 information center. HHSC also now says that SNAP benefits are being processed in 32 days as of Dec. 15.
St. David’s Foundation is giving $21 million to four local federally qualified health centers to help provide health care to Central Texans most at risk for not having health care.
Federally qualified health centers receive federal funding to serve medically underserved areas and populations. They can often get reimbursement via Medicaid, Medicare or other programs for people with lower incomes, but for people without insurance, the centers offer sliding scales or care at reduced prices.
That risk of lacking health care coverage has increased this year because of Medicaid dropping many families from its rolls in the wake of the pandemic, said Dr. Edward Burger, St. David’s Foundation president and CEO.
That Medicaid unwinding process has meant that as of November, 1,482,635 people have lost Medicaid coverage in Texas, according to the state Health and Human Services Commission’s latest unwinding dashboard. Two-thirds of those people lost coverage for procedural reasons, such as not returning their renewal form fast enough, not receiving the form at all or missing some needed paperwork.