The study found nearly one in three rural children in Texas depend on Medicaid. More than 239,000 children in Texas’ small towns rely on Medicaid/CHIP coverage.
Media Contact:
Dr. Brandy Taylor Dédé, btaylordede@childrensdefense.org, CDF-Texas State Director, 903-926-5331
John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, CDF Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
AUSTIN, TX—Children’s Defense Fund-Texas is again urging state and federal leaders to protect Medicaid funding in light of a new Georgetown University study highlighting the devastating impact potential cuts to the program would have on young people and families in Texas’ rural communities and small towns.
The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF), part of the McCourt School of Public Policy, found that Texans living in rural communities and small towns are more likely to rely on Medicaid for their health insurance than people who live in the state’s urban areas. The nonpartisan policy and research center also discovered nearly one in three children who live in those communities depend on Medicaid/CHIP for health coverage.
The CCF Report comes as some members of Congress push for significant Medicaid cuts, which could lead to higher costs, increased medical debt, and greater financial insecurity for Texas families. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have also proposed blocking grants or capping Medicaid to cut federal spending for health care, which could severely limit access to care for young people and pregnant people in Texas. Many rural hospitals also rely on Medicaid funding to serve their communities, and any cuts to the program could jeopardize their ability to continue operations.
Study Findings
- Texas has the largest number of people living in small towns or rural areas, with 9.9 percent of the state’s population residing in those areas.
- In rural and small-town areas, Texas, 33.1 percent of children are covered by Medicaid/CHIP, compared to 37.3 percent in urban areas.
- Among adults younger than 65, about 14.3 percent of those in rural and small-town Texas rely on Medicaid/CHIP for coverage, compared to 7.7 percent in metropolitan areas.
CDF-Texas State Director Dr. Brandy Taylor Dédé said with nearly one-third of all rural Texas children receiving their health coverage through Medicaid, there is no way to cut the program without hurting the state’s young people. She said federal lawmakers must develop a careful, measured approach that balances fiscal responsibility with the health and well-being of all Texans.
“If we want to see children be their best selves, if we want to see them thrive, at a minimum, they have to be healthy,” Taylor Dédé said. “Children deserve to have access to healthcare coverage and not just access, but access to quality healthcare coverage.”
CDF-Texas Policy and Advocacy Manager Barbara Moore said Texas wouldn’t be Texas without its small towns and the young families that live in them. She added those towns wouldn’t be where they are without Medicaid.
“[Young people] are our workforce, they’re our future politicians, they’re our future leaders, they’re our future teachers,” Moore said. “We also have to look at it as an investment in the future as opposed to arbitrary cuts that we’re doing to help out somewhere else.”
The CCF report relies on data from the United States Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey. It categorizes children as people under the age of 19. It also counts counties that have fewer than 50,000 people as small towns and rural areas.