AUSTIN – On Monday, April 30, at 12:00 p.m., Senator Eliot Shapleigh will hold a press conference with Health Care for All Texas (HCFAT) to discuss the Texas Universal Health Care Act (S.B. 1911), an act to create a system of universal health care coverage in Texas.  April is National Health Care Month and the last week of April is Cover the Uninsured Week. 

Senator Shapleigh will be joined by Dr. Amina Haji, HCFAT Austin Chair and Amparo Estrada, a Texan who is an uninsured diabetic.  Recently, she suffered medical complications, resulting in loss of limb and personal financial devastation.

Texas is the uninsured capital of the United States.  More than 5.5 million Texans—including 1.4 million children—lack health insurance, according to the Texas Medical Association. Texas’ uninsurance rates, 1.5 to 1.7 times the national average, create significant problems in the financing and delivery of health care to all Texans. Those who lack insurance coverage typically enjoy far-worse health status than their insured counterparts.

As other states—including California and Massachusetts—craft tailored universal health care solutions to their own uninsured needs, Texas continues to ignore the problem.  But for how long and at what cost?

In this legislative session, Senator Shapleigh has filed the Texas Universal Health Care Act (S.B. 1911), a no-nonsense, practical plan for insuring every Texas resident with basic health care.  "For too many Texans, affordable health care is out of reach," said Senator Shapleigh, "Our plan will make quality health care available for all Texans." 

What: Texas Universal Health Care Act (S.B. 1911)

When: Monday, April 30, 2007 at 12:00 p.m.

Where: Capitol 2E.9 (Press Room)

- END -