Dallas-Fort Worth has the most dismal health coverage in Texas and one of the worst of major cities in the U.S. Currently 847,692 individuals—or 24 percent of the population—are uninsured, which places a huge burden on local taxpayers for social services and free hospital care (hello, Parkland!).
As Hilary Lau reports on D Healthcare Daily, one of the major holes in coverage is with businesses that employ 50 or fewer people. They normally don’t provide health insurance. (I guess we are the exception, since we did even when we were tinier than 50 people.) Under Obamacare, these businesses will now get cheaper than normal insurance and tax breaks to pay for it. But won’t those benefits also cost taxpayers? Yes, but less than what we’re already paying. If the current system had been left in place, healthcare would consume a third of economic output by 2040.
The vehicle for small business to sign up for employee coverage is something called the Small Business Health Options Program, which goes live on September 9. The new law kicks in on January 1 — unless Ted Cruz finds the votes to stop it, which he won’t.
