Texas Lags Behind in Children’s Healthcare Despite Strong Economy

Texas is known for its strong economy and thriving business environment, but when it comes to the quality of healthcare for children, the state falls short. According to a recent ranking by WalletHub, Texas was placed at 49th for children’s healthcare, indicating a significant room for improvement.

The issue of uninsured children is a significant concern in Texas, which has the highest number of uninsured people in the country. Last spring, over a million children from low-income families lost their Medicaid coverage, further highlighting the need for better healthcare options for children in the state. In comparison to other states, Texas leads in the percentage of uninsured children, while states like Massachusetts have the lowest rate of minors without insurance.

WalletHub considered various factors such as the percentage of children with excellent or very good health, the infant-death rate, uninsured children, unaffordable medical bills for families, percentage of overweight and obese children, and the number of pediatricians per capita. Texas struggled in many of these areas, particularly in providing access to healthcare for children. The state was ranked at No. 50 for this area.

Additionally, Texas has the highest percentage of children with unaffordable medical bills compared to other states in the country. Rhode Island was found to be the most affordable state when it comes to medical bills for families with young kids. States in New England are leading when it comes to providing high-quality care for their kids’ health needs overall. This includes Massachusetts Vermont Rhode Island and New Jersey which were ranked among top five best states for children’s healthcare overall by WalletHub.