More than 5 million Texans, including an estimated 72,000 Brazos Valley residents, gamble each day, hoping they won't get sick or hurt because they lack health insurance.
These Texans, including children without coverage, lack access to primary care such as doctors' office visits and prenatal care as well as preventive care.
It's the type of wellness and preventive treatment that those fortunate to have health insurance take for granted.
It's also the type of care that catches illnesses before they become chronic or life-threatening and require extensive treatments and hospitalizations.
It's an unfortunate gamble, and physicians, clinics and emergency rooms across the Brazos Valley each day see people who run this risk. It's simply much less expensive to provide health insurance to people so they can see a doctor on a regular basis than it is to pay for their treatment at an emergency room.
Access to affordable health insurance and preventive care isn't a problem just for the poor and unemployed. Skyrocketing health insurance costs and limited access to coverage is beginning to affect middle- and higher-income families, too.
And, with each passing year without meaningful health insurance reform, our community gambles, too. We all pay the price when Brazos Valley residents are unable to afford health insurance.
Ultimately, the burden of uncompensated care and the uninsured must be borne by someone. Check your pocketbook, because that someone is you.
Our taxes support government-sponsored programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, although these programs do not pay the full cost of caring for those who are covered.
Local taxpayers help subsidize public hospitals, the safety net of our state's health-care system. In 2005, Texas was one of six states in which health insurance premiums for families were at least $1,500 higher due to the unreimbursed cost of care for the uninsured, according to Families USA.
Increasing the number of people with health insurance would increase the quality of care and help reduce the losses that result from hospitals treating patients with no health insurance. Uncompensated care limits the financial resources available to invest in new technology, electronic communication, education and other enhancements that would improve patient care and outcomes for all patients.
According to a recent statewide survey by the Texas Hospital Association, 70 percent of Texans agree that hospitals would be able to provide better care to all patients if health-care coverage were more accessible and affordable and more Texans were insured.
Whether you're concerned about rising health-care costs, concerned about the health of your neighbors or worried that one day you may be without coverage, this is something we can all agree on: It's time we focus on making health insurance more affordable and accessible for all Texans.
Almost half of all Texans consider affordable health insurance the single most important issue for our state leaders to address. Finding solutions to make health insurance more affordable and accessible should be a priority during the 2007 legislative session, which begins in January.
It's time to act. Let's get Texas covered.
• John J. Buckley Jr. is president & CEO of the St. Joseph Health System in Bryan and surrounding areas
