Frustration over the lack of affordable American healthcare has been ongoing for quite some time, so Texas resident Latinbelle2022’s complaint isn’t new. However, they share an outrageous claim in r/texas, where OP complains that their monthly insurance costs a whopping $900. Latinbelle says this expense should only cost them $130, but the blame allegedly falls on the governor: “Abbott denied Obamacare, which prevented Texas residents from getting subsidies to cover insurance costs.”
However, the state government didn’t deny Obamacare, per se, but declined Medicaid expansion. As the KFF reports, Texans like Latinbelle could still be eligible for federal financial assistance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace; though the expiration of tax credits last year has skyrocketed many people’s out-of-pocket premium payments. Some Redditors attribute this all to the state’s focus on other things, like firearms.
Some People Targeted the Texas Government’s Priority on Other Matters
Reddit user Conscious-Demand-594 sarcastically claims that the Texas government has simply been “focusing on education” instead of better healthcare affordability for citizens. “Yes, but think about the positives,” they argued. “We have the ten commandments in classrooms to indoctrinate the young, and we can take guns on university campuses.” Another commenter sarcastically criticized Texas’s approach to school funding, targeting efforts to support private Christian schools.
Needless to say, these remarks aren’t related to what really drives up healthcare costs, but they’re more a criticism of what Texas politicians prioritize. Some Redditors added a different argument to Latinbelle’s complaints, with one user questioning, “We don’t even know how much better we could have things if we had Democratic Governors and other Democratic statewide leaders in Texas!”
Plenty of others shared their worries about insurance affordability as well. ”Healthcare is expensive! I have insurance but am still afraid of a hospital bill!” exclaimed a worried user. “I always assume the worst and we’re on the brink of financial collapse,” remarked another. Some used this debate as a chance to encourage others to vote as well, as that will be one of the determining factors in bringing about meaningful change.
In the end, insurance costs are still through the roof and not ideal in the slightest for plenty of people across the country. While Latinbelle and others might blame a politician or state policy for this healthcare predicament, everyone is under financial pressure.
