The Travis County hospital district appears interested in the idea of going it alone on the potential expansion of Medicaid, but says there are no plans in the works. The Washington Post reported this weekend that the six largest counties in Texas could seek to expand Medicaid independently of the state, effectively making an end run around Gov. Rick Perry's opposition to the program.
“We’re not actively involved at this point in time [in those talks]," says Christie Garbe with Central Health, the Travis County hospital district. "We are watching closely as it’s an interesting possibility. But Central Health is already interested in exploring local solutions to expand health care for the uninsured who live in Travis County.”
Central Health estimates the Medicaid expansion would save $7- to $8 million dollars a year by providing health insurance to people who would otherwise just show up at the emergency room.
