On Tuesday, the White House released numbers illustrating the effect of the Affordable Care Act here in Texas — numbers that came out on the same day that President Obama delivered a speech in which he described his signature health care law as a success.
President Obama spoke Tuesday at the Catholic Hospital Association conference in Washington, D.C. He told the audience the Affordable Care Act has turned out better than even its supporters expected.
"Nearly one in three Americans have already been covered," he said, receiving applause. "More than 16 million people driving our uninsured rate to its lowest level, ever. Ever."
According to the Gallup polling firm, the uninsured rate in Texas fell by 2.5 percentage points between 2013 and 2014 — it's now at about 24.4 percent. Community health centers in Texas have gotten $470,331,234 for services, extended hours and more providers, and 10,694,840 Texans who had pre-existing conditions are able to get coverage.
According to the White House, 832,334 people in Texas have received a tax subsidy to help pay for their insurance. These subsidies are being challenged in a case at the U.S. Supreme Court — King v. Burwell. Justices are expected to rule by the end of this month on whether it’s legal for people to receive these tax credits in states that use the federal health insurance marketplace. Texas is one of those states.
