An insurance program in Liberty County, Texas, is in desperate need of funds. The program provides affordable health insurance to low-income families and individuals. It has been suffering from the inflation of medical expenses, so much so that is will not be able to continue without additional funds. The county insurance committee convened early last week to discuss what would be a third cash injection in just over a year and a half.
In the first half of the year, insurance claims in Liberty County exceeded $400,000 per month. June proved to be the most costly month this year in regards to claims with a total of $635,000. The county’s insurance committee says that the program has more than $800,000 left which will not be enough to cover claims filed throughout the rest of the year if the trend continues. Kim Harris, county treasurer and president of the committee, believes that the program will not last until December.
The committee is considering a number of measures to rein in the costs of the program. As it stands, the program’s expenses are outstripping the revenue it produces.
“We’re going to have to make some tough decisions on cutting benefits and raising rates,” says Donna Burt, a member of the insurance committee.
The committee is currently consulting with insurance experts to find solutions to the problem without having to make drastic cuts to the program that would leave a number of people underinsured. The committee will reconvene on July 7th to determine further action.
