Texans Have the Worst Access to Healthcare

One of the things that COVID-19 has made existentially clear is that not all healthcare systems are created equal. From country to country, policies differ. Access to doctors, insurance, and hospitals that are not overcrowded or overrun changes based on your location. Even in the United States, access to quality healthcare differs from state to state -- even so far down in geographical areas to differ county to county, city to city.

A new study, recently released by Coventry Direct, explored healthcare access of Americans in 200 of the largest cities in the United States. The largest cities were based on population size, instead of simply using the “top MSAs” to have a better view of what healthcare access is truly like in the locations used. The 50 cities with the worst access to healthcare illustrate an alarming trend -- notably that the cities with the worst access are sprinkled throughout the southern region of the country.

28% of the 50 U.S. cities with the worst access to healthcare can be found in Texas. Granted, the Lone Star state is one of the largest territories in the country with one of the highest populations as well.

But amongst that population are far too many individuals who either cannot afford healthcare, or are uninsured. 56.1% of residents in McAllen, Texas are not insured. The second city, ranked the 2nd worst for healthcare access, is Laredo, Texas where 48.8% of residents are uninsured. Those numbers are alarming, especially considering the current state of American healthcare during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.

Brownsville, Laredo, and McAllen also come in the top 10 cities where residents couldn’t afford healthcare, regardless of the status of their insurance. Houston, El Paso, and Corpus Christi also rank in the top 10 cities where residents couldn’t afford the health treatments they might need, based on cost-related reasons.

To see the full picture of healthcare in the United States, look at the full study: https://www.coventrydirect.com...