Friends,

One out of five Texans lacks health insurance.

Despite the state having the highest number of uninsured people in the country, Texas Republicans in the state legislature have continually stonewalled the expansion of Medicaid, leaving millions vulnerable in a pandemic:

• Without adequate funding and the expansion of Medicaid, Texas has seen hospital closures across the state. Today, Texas has just 2.3 hospital beds per 1,000 people, below the US average.
• Texas faces a shortage of doctors across the state. Texas is near the bottom of the list—number 41 out of 50 states—when it comes to physicians per capita. 33 out of the 254 counties in the state don’t even have a physician.
• Nursing homes are underfunded and under regulated in Texas, leaving some of the most vulnerable populations unprepared for the spread of the coronavirus.

By failing to expand access to health care insurance, the GOP-held Texas Legislature has left the door open to the worst-case scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the President saying “I don't take responsibility” for coronavirus failures, the responsibility of ensuring the safety of Americans has largely fallen to our state and local leaders.

The good news is, we have a clear path to retake the Texas State House in November and transform the electoral landscape for the next generation. We need your help to hold state legislators accountable and prevent their gerrymandering of the second largest state for the next decade.

It’s critical that we have state governments that represent our interests, stick to science, and fight to expand access to affordable health care for all Americans. This pandemic has added new meaning to the importance of these down-ballot races. Let’s not forget the power of these key state legislative races in November.

We’re grateful for everyone working to keep us safe. Together, we will get through this and emerge stronger.

Hope you and your loved ones are well,