Where Data Tells the Story
© Voronoi 2026. All rights reserved.
Texas has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and "adults under 65 who aren’t disabled or raising a child are ineligible for Medicaid regardless of how low their income is," per Healthinsurance.org.
Even parents can only qualify if their household income is extremely low (about 12–15% of the federal poverty level), which "essentially makes it impossible for the parent to hold even a part-time job, since they will lose their health coverage if their earnings go above that amount."
This results in a significant uninsured population among low-income adults in Texas, which explains why medical costs would be high, leading to them skipping the doctor.
For reference, Texas has a 13% poverty rate, 11th highest in the country.