Texas has been named the state with the largest number of residents who do not have health insurance, so they should also be one of the states that could receive the most benefit from the health care reforms made by the Obama administration. However, Governor Rick Perry has halted attempts to lay the foundation for the coverage expansion.
That said, one of the solutions that Perry is supporting as an alternative to the overhaul is an untested regional effort that may make individual states responsible for Medicare; a method that could be as contentious as Obama’s. As Perry is running for the Republican presidential nomination, his actions are being carefully watched and scrutinized by the country.
In fact, Perry’s complete repeal of “Obamacare” is being held at the very heart of his campaign. The main issue with that is that he has not made it clear what he would set into place as an alternative. That said, should the Supreme Court uphold the law in part or in its entirety, Perry has indicated that he will assist in bringing its main points forward so that it will not default to the federal bureaucracy.
His state is already the recipient of a number of grants as a result of Obama’s law, which are meant for the creation and regulation of health insurance plans, as well as consumer education. The employee benefit system in Texas has also stated that it predicts that it will take in $60 million in subsidies from the federal government in 2011 in order to help provide coverage to individuals who are retiring early. These funds are a direct result of one of the law’s provisions.
However, when Republican state Rep. John Zerwas attempted to bring in legislation for establishing the state’s insurance exchange – which is required by the healthcare reform law – Zerwas’s efforts were threatened by a Perry veto.
