Due to its reluctance to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, Texas may see more than 3,000 deaths due to a lack of insurance, according to a new Health Affairs study.
The study looked at the uninsured rates for all states, and then extrapolated them out. According to researchers, 2,013,025 people who would otherwise have been insured (under Medicaid expansion) will remain uninsured due to the opt-out decision. Researchers estimated that Medicaid expansion in Texas would have resulted in 184,192 fewer depression diagnoses, 62,610 fewer individuals suffering catastrophic medical expenditures, and between 1,840 and 3,035 fewer deaths.
Texas’ death prognosis was by far the largest of all the states that have not expanded Medicaid. Florida was second, with an estimated 1,158 to 2,221 deaths.
Study: Lack of Medicaid Expansion in Texas Could Lead to 3,000 Deaths « D Healthcare Daily.