Home >> Research >> Public Benefits

More Information

Related Topics

• Your County and the ACA
• Testimony on Texas HHSC LAR
• Choices and Challenges: How Texas County Uninsured Rates Will Drop Under Health Care Reform

Also by Celia Cole

• Cuts to SNAP Will Hurt Texas Families Struggling to Afford Food
• Access to Healthy and Affordable Food is Critical to Good Nutrition
• We Must Maintain Our Investment in SNAP: An Efficient, Effective Way to Prevent Hunger and Reduce Food Insecurity

Testimony: Sustaining Progress Made in Eligibility System Will Require Additional Resources for Caseload Growth, Implementation of Health Care Reform

  

Author:
Celia Cole /(512) 320-0222 x110

September 22, 2010

Read Full Article >>  

We commend Executive Commissioner Suehs and the Health and Human Services Commission for the significant progress HHSC has made in improving the performance of the eligibility and enrollment system over the last year. This progress is the result of the infusion of 850 additional workers and a set of policy and procedural changes designed to improve worker productivity. However, sustaining these improvements will be impossible unless the Legislature gives HHSC the staffing and other resources its needs to handle growing caseloads and the implementation of national health care reform in 2014. HHSC’s LAR exceptional items related to staff retention and hiring (#6 and #7) outline these essential needs. Without these resources, the performance of the eligibility system will deteriorate, and Texas will lose out on billions of federal funds that are critical to the health and well-being of our state’s residents and economy.