AUSTIN - Tracy Brinton was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis nine years ago. Since then, the disease has taken a financial and emotional toll not just on her, but on her family.

"Since my diagnosis, health insurance has been a constant battle," the Forth Worth mother of two told the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday. "As a small business owner, coverage has been limited. In order to maintain coverage, we have had to deplete our savings. The future of our entire family is at risk as a result of our inability to maintain our health insurance costs."

The nine-member panel, which state Sen. Robert Duncan chairs, heard similar stories during the seven-hour hearing because, as the Lubbock Republican said, health care insurance is shaping up as a major issue for the next legislative session which starts early next year.

"Health insurance and availability of health insurance will be a key issue for the Legislature to address next session," Duncan said after the committee adjourned.

And though panel members said stories such as Brinton's are heartbreaking, they were also glad to hear some health coverage success stories. One of those stories came courtesy of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber's president, Eddie McBride, told the senators he wanted to share with them the success the business organization has had with its Lubbock Chamber Employer Health Plan launched in May 2006.

"The initial goal was to enroll at least 2,000 lives in the first 30 days and to continually increase participation for a more actuarially sound program through a larger risk pool," McBride said. "The initial goal was surpassed by more than 50 percent in the first 30 days, and though our official announcement of this important milestone won't be until tomorrow, I am proud to be letting this committee know today that enrollments this day total exactly 10,000 lives."

"Typical savings for business are exemplified by one of our members with 15 employees who saved $12,000 the first year and a larger member with 70 employees who saved $100,000 the first year," McBride said.

The plan, which offers coverage to small businesses that otherwise might not afford the rates the big insurers charge, is a partnership between the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, FirstCare Health Plans (an insurance company) and Covenant Health System and UMC Health System.

Besides Lubbock County, employers in Crosby, Floyd, Garza, Hale, Hockley, Lamb, Lynn and Terry counties also offer the chamber's health plan.

Employers in Odessa, the Abilene area and other communities have also embraced the plan, McBride said.

Lubbock Chamber officials credit the success of their program to Senate Bill 10 that the Legislature passed in the 2003 session. Because of the success of such legislation, he hopes the lawmakers don't tweak the bill next session, McBride said.

"My biggest hope is that there is no legislation created that could hurt our collaborative effort," he said. I want to make sure that they don't pass any laws that could hurt our collaboration."

Duncan said he agrees and said he doubts there will be any attempt to tweak the bill that made the Lubbock Chamber's health coverage program possible.

However, the Legislature will continue working on how to reduce the number of uninsured Texans, Duncan and some of his colleagues said.

Dianne Longley, director of research and analysis at the Texas Department of Insurance, told the panel that 25 percent of the state's population, or about 5.5 million people, are insured for a variety of reasons mainly because many people don't get health insurance at work and the cost of buying insurance on their own is prohibitive.

In the South Plains and the Panhandle, the number of uninsured is critical, said the Rev. Davis Price of the Lubbock-based West Texas Organizing Strategy, a religious oriented group.

"It is a critical problem because most of the uninsured are school-age children," said Price, who has been involved in the signing of youngsters to the state and federally funded Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.

To emphasize the point, on Friday the WTOS and other groups who are members of the Network of Texas IAF Organizations, the umbrella group, will hold a press conference in Austin to address the uninsured problem, Davis said.