Thursday morning saw a gathering of a cross section of Dallas Citizens – young and old, black, brown and white – representing various organizations – Texas Organizing Project (TOP), the Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff (UUCOC), Texas Alliance for Retired Americans (TARA), National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), Black Lives Matter, and Planned Parenthood. The purpose of the gathering was to celebrate the first billboard in the Dallas area, sponsored by TOP, asking Gov. Abbott to expand Medicaid.
Joining the group were County Judge Clay Jenkins, Dallas Councilman Phillip Kingston (Dist. 14), UUCOC Pastor Mark Walz, Marsha Jones, Dr. Tom Ripp, Judy Bryant, and DeShawn Bunton – each of whom addressed health care availability from different aspects.
TOP organizer Brianna Brown noted that health care is a basic human right. A person making $12,000 or less annually and a family with income of $24,000 or less are not qualified for the subsidy provided by the Affordable Care Act and, therefore, cannot afford the high insurance premiums. Texas is losing $110 billion dollars over 10 years that would provide health care for 66,000 veterans and their spouses. There are 1.5 million Texas who fall into the “gap” and the lack of affordable insurance for them increases the disparity among races, Brown pointed out.
UUCOC Pastor Walz explained that his Church operates on a covenant basis respecting the inherent dignity of every human being. The State is “out of covenant.” Pastor Walz described the state’s decision not to expand Medicaid as an “unethical, bankrupt, immoral decision” amounting to “political pandering and a violation of public trust.” The legislators have no right to deny us the health insurance we provide them, he said.
Both County Judge Jenkins and Councilman Kingston pointed out that their respective governments support expansion. Mr. Kingston observed that Dallas is the poorest city of its size and expansion is supported by hospitals, businesses, Democrats, and the usually conservative Citizens Council, among many other groups. “Our leaders in Austin are out of touch,” he said.
The county is willing and able to work with the state to find a way to say yes to expansion, said Judge Jenkins. “It is important to take care of uninsured but important and valuable families who deserve health insurance,” the judge said. The Dallas County Commissioners Court has passed a resolution to that effect along with other counties and cities.
People without insurance often delay going to a doctor because they can neither afford to go nor can they afford to take off work, said Dr. Ripp, a retired nose, ear and throat specialist. If someone with a sore throat came in and a spot was discovered which turned out to be cancerous, immediate treatment results in a 95-99% cure rate. Delaying treatment, as uninsured are most likely to do, lowers that rate to 50-75% and leaves the uninsured with a medical bills they can never afford to pay, he explained. The federal money available, but now refused by the state, would not only provide for medical care, it would create 300,000 jobs in Dallas County, Dr. Ripp noted. Of the uninsured in this country, 25% live in Texas and of those 41% work and 51% are women.
Governor Abbot needs to know “The Eyes of Texas are upon you all the livelong day” and he needs to fix the health care problem so Texas can live, observed Judy Bryant of TARA.
“It is common sense to expand Medicaid,” noted Marsha Jones. Ms. Jones works with women who have HIV, helping them to get treatment and support which she herself does not have insurance. Black and brown women are always more impacted – “the marginalized of the marginalized, “ she said. “We’re not asking for a handout,” Ms. Jones said of the working poor.
“Gov. Abbott, what is your plan?” asked Ms. Bunton. Ms. Bunton has worked all her live, but falls in the gap. In the 30 other states, she would be eligible for Medicaid, but not in Texas, she pointed out. Legislators and the governor have health care paid for by Texas taxpayer, she said.
The billboard is located at 7600 John Carpenter Freeway.