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Texas Business, Religious, City Govt Officials Rally For Expansion Of Medicaid

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Hundreds of Texans are expected at a rally Tuesday at the state Capitol calling on lawmakers to expand Medicaid as planned under the federal health care law.

Scott Chase, with the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce will be at the “Texas Medicaid Matters” event. He says Methodist Hospital, Oak Cliff’s largest employer, stands to benefit if more low-income Texans are covered by Medicaid.

“The other thing is we have a lot of small businesses that are beginning to recognize that by having uninsured people, not only do premiums increase for people that are insured, but as taxpayers here in Dallas County particularly, or property taxes are being used to pay for uninsured care at Parkland,” said Chase.

Monday, the state House Republican Caucus voted to oppose the Medicaid expansion in the federal Affordable Care Act unless some conditions are met. Texas would spend $15 billion over the next 10 years and get $100 billion in return to provide health care to at least 1.5 million poor people.

Scott Chase says the Oak Cliff Chamber is not opposed to conditions like a co-pay.  He says more people with insurance would be good for small business’ bottom line. 

Former KERA reporter BJ Austin spent more than 25 years in broadcast journalism, anchoring and reporting in Atlanta, New York, New Orleans and Dallas. Along the way, she covered Atlanta City Hall, the Georgia Legislature and the corruption trials of Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards.