Texas lawmakers are examining rising health care costs as Houston- and Galveston-area families face growing financial strain and one of the nation’s highest uninsured rates.
Galveston households struggle to afford health care, Austin lawmakers are investigating the causes.
A Texas House committee on health care affordability began hearings April 30 to investigate rising costs and policy adjustments for the 2027 legislative session. Large, diversified Gulf Coast populations use a mix of employer-sponsored insurance, governmental programs, and out-of-pocket care, making the issue particularly pertinent.
At 16.7%, 5.2 million Texans were uninsured in 2024, the highest rate in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
“Our goal is to find policy solutions that reduce the cost of quality health care,” stated committee head Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls.
Rising premiums and medical bills are competing with housing, food, and transportation for Houston metro and Galveston County families. Lawmakers claimed health care inflation exceeds salary growth.
Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, told the panel that some Texans cannot afford routine care.
It is not sustainable. It’s unacceptable,” she said.
Experts testified that the US spends more on health care than other industrialized nations but does not experience better results. Higher pricing, not usage, drive the gap, according to nonprofit KFF's Cynthia Cox. “We spend more on average per person on health care, and yet we live shorter lives.”
Since Cox stated, 2000, health care spending has climbed three times faster than inflation, lawmakers were told. Yale researcher Zack Cooper says the typical family of four premium is $27,000.
“Every family is basically buying a new Toyota Corolla worth of health insurance,” Cooper added.
Witnesses also cited hospital and health system consolidation. Over 1,300 hospital mergers have happened since 2000, limiting competition and raising prices in some areas.
Houston's big hospital systems affect cost and access in Gulf Coast communities like Galveston.
Lawmakers said the committee will analyze testimony and statistics before suggesting policy changes later this year.
Officials stressed that they need to understand the system before proposing improvements to help Texas families.
Texas lawmakers are studying rising health care costs as Houston and Galveston families struggle with high premiums and limited access to coverage.
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