TYLER, Texas — The City of Tyler is in the top 10 most uninsured small cities in the U.S. with more than 21% of people under 65 lacking coverage, according to Sidecar Health, a company that partners with healthcare plan providers.
Texas has a history of high rates of people lacking healthcare coverage and the COVID-19 pandemic only made it worse. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, it's estimated 28 million American have lost their insurance during the pandemic.
The latest data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows more than 5.4 million Texans or 21.4% are without healthcare coverage. The Texas Comptroller noted in a report that 56% of uninsured Texans are in families with at least one full-time worker.
However, the rise in unemployment led to more people qualifying for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage through Medicaid or Marketplace Tax Credits. The latest pandemic relief approved by Congress and President Biden created a special enrollment period for the ACA Marketplace starting in April and ending Aug.15.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates 4 in 5 people who enroll through HealthCare.gov will pay less than $10 a month in premiums after tax credits are applied.
More than 565,000 uninsured Texans are anticipated to be newly eligible for the healthcare coverage savings. Even those with incomes between 150% and 400% above the Federal Poverty Line are estimated to potentially qualify for additional support for marketplace premiums.
Additionally, beginning in July on HealthCare.gov, those who have received or have been determined eligible to receive unemployment compensation during 2021 may be able to get an increase in savings when enrolling in new Marketplace coverage or updating their existing application and enrollment.
