[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6670-H6671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MEDICAID EXPANSION

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise today as 
member of the new congressional State Medicaid Expansion Caucus, and I 
call on my colleagues to join us in encouraging States to close the 
coverage gaps by expanding Medicaid.
  Texas, my home State, has the option to accept Federal Medicaid 
funding to provide affordable health insurance to more than 1.4 million 
uninsured Texans. For many of these citizens, there is no affordable 
option, as

[[Page H6671]]

long as Texas refuses the Federal funds.
  Texas could extend insurance through Medicaid to residents with 
incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal poverty level, less than 
$28,000 for a family of three for whom there is no current alternative. 
Fifty-eight percent of the uninsured in our State would benefit, and if 
Texas does accept funding, the Federal Government will virtually pay 
for all of the costs in the expansion.
  Closing the coverage gap is the right thing to do and is a sound 
investment for the State, by creating a healthier workforce, 
strengthening the State's economy, and improving our health care 
system.
  I urge my colleagues to work with their home States and encourage 
Medicaid expansion.

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