Texas’ Latino population is shouldering the weight of the children’s health coverage crisis, according to analysis from a civil rights and advocacy organization.
Texas has had the highest rate of uninsured children for nearly 20 years. In 2024, there were more than 1 million uninsured children in the state.
UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, published a new report Thursday that found two-thirds of Texas’ uninsured children are Latino.
Eric Holguín, the organization’s Texas state director, said with recent policy changes, he expects the rate of uninsured children to grow.
“It's important to know that having uninsured kids, one, it's a moral issue that we need to address,” Holguín said. “But two, it’s an economic issue for everyone.”
Nearly 14% of Texas kids are uninsured, more than double the national rate.
While Latino children represent the largest uninsured racial or ethnic group in almost every area of the state, they represent 97% of uninsured children in the Rio Grande Valley region. In North Texas, 58% of uninsured kids are Latino.
North Texas’ overall uninsured rate for children is tied for the second highest in the state behind West Texas – with the Panhandle and the Rio Grande Valley also at 15%.
A high rate of uninsured children increases health care costs for everyone, Holguín said. Uninsured children are more likely to rely on the emergency room as their primary source of care – meaning preventable health concerns become worse and only the immediate health concern is addressed.
“The emergency room takes care of them by law,” Holguín said. “If they're not able to pay, that cost then gets pushed on to people who can pay and your health insurance premiums.”
Holguín said there are several factors contributing to the uninsured rate in the state, including “bureaucratic red tape” and concerns about immigration crackdowns.
“The state has not done anything to curtail what's going on with this,” he said. “We rank eighth [in largest economies] if we're to be considered our own country and GDP. There's plenty of abundance economically and financially here in the state. The question is: Why is that not translating into kids having health insurance?”
The report highlights several ways for the state to address the high rate of uninsured children, including removing administrative barriers to programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. UnidosUS found the majority of uninsured children are eligible for public insurance or financial assistance through the federal health insurance marketplace.
The organization also advocates for expanding Medicaid to cover low-income adults. The report said when parents are insured, their children are more likely to be enrolled in coverage.
The report highlights the return on investment when governments fund health coverage for children. For every $1 invested, the government saves $4 in future cost savings. When the benefits to the child themselves are considered, each dollar generates at least $12.66.
“If a kid doesn't get the education because they're being impacted by how sick they are, then, whenever they grow up, their job prospects don't amount to something that's more fruitful for them,” Holguín said. “It's really this domino effect that plays out through their whole life.”
Holguín said UnidosUS has worked with other community organizations to try to address Texas’ high uninsured rate but hasn’t been able to make much progress with the state.
“[It’s] a matter of choice that the state, that state leaders — including Governor Abbott is making,” Holguín said. “This is not a partisan issue and more so — it of an issue of priorities.”
Abigail Ruhman is KERA’s health reporter. Got a tip? Email Abigail at aruhman@kera.org.
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