Texas Needs Healthcare Reform!

A recent Washington Post article shows that Texas seems to have the greatest proportion of Congressional districts with more than 25% of people uninsured. Many of these uninsured are children who are consequently lacking critical care during their early years. And very few districts in Texas have fewer than 20% uninsured. And NONE are below the national average for percent of people uninsured, a miserable track record. By contrast, most districts in Massachusetts have only around 5% or fewer uninsured. Of all the states in the union, Texas is most desperately in need of healthcare reform and will be best served by Obama and the Democrats in Congress.

Here's the breakdown of uninsured by district in Texas:

TX-1: 25.5% uninsured (Republican Congressman Louis Gohmert voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-2: 21.5% uninsured (Republican Congressman Ted Poe voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-3: 24.0%uninsured (Republican Congressman Sam Johnson voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-4: 22.9% uninsured (Republican Congressman Ralph Hall voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-5: 25.8 uninsured (Republican Congressman Jeb Hensarling voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-6: 23.3% uninsured (Republican Congressman Joe Barton voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-7: 17.6% uninsured (Republican Congressman John Culberson voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-8: 22.5% uninsured (Republican Congressman Kevin Brady voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-9: 37.3% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Alexander Green voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-10: 20.8% uninsured (Republican Congressman Michael McCaul voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-11: 27.0% uninsured (Republican Congressman Michael Conaway voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-12: 25.7% uninsured (Republican Congressman Kay Granger voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-13: 23.7% uninsured (Republican Congressman William Thornberry voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-14: 24.0% uninsured (Republican Congressman Ron Paul voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-15: 36.6% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Ruben Hinojosa voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-16: 34.6% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Silvestre Reyes voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-17: 23.2% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards voted NO on healthcare reform...sadly not all Democrats vote in the best interests of their constituents)
TX-18: 36% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Sheila Jackson-Lee voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-19: 22.6% uninsured (Republican Congressman Randy Neugebauer voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-20: 31.3% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Charles Gonzalez voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-21: 16.4% uninsured (Republican Congressman Lamar Smith voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-22: 19.6% uninsured (Republican Congressman Pete Olson voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-23: 26.2% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Ciro Rodriguez voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-24: 20.5% uninsured (Republican Congressman Kenny Marchent voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-25: 26.3% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-26: 21.1% uninsured (Republican Congressman Michael Burgess voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-27: 32.0% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Solomon Ortiz voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-28: 35.5% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Henry Cueller voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-29: 43.0% uninsured (one of the highest in the nation!) (Democratic Congressman Raymond Green voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-30: 38.4% uninsured (Democratic Congressman Eddie Johnson voted YES on healthcare reform)
TX-31: 16.9% uninsured (Republican Congressman John Carter voted NO on healthcare reform)
TX-32: 35.7% uninsured (Republican Congressman Pete Sessions voted NO on healthcare reform)


Will the Republicans of Texas sacrifice their own citizens for blind ideology? So far they have. I should note that TX-10 (Katy, Brenham and Pflugerville areas) is considered a seat with a vulnerable Republican, Michael McCaul, and since he voted against his constituents on this issue, I think this is a good place to put in a plug for donating to flip this seat. TX-10 is one of the few seats in Texas we can flip from Repub to Dem and McCaul's vote against health care is a good place to get started.

I also want to specifically express disappointment at the vote of Democrat Chet Edwards, someone I supported when he first ran. I hope "Chet" realizes that I can't support him in the future after his refusal to do the right thing on healthcare reform.