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The difficulties faced by military veterans returning home, from elevated divorce and suicide rates to a harsh job market, have been well documented.
Turns out, many of them also don’t have health coverage.
According to a study released last week by the Urban Institute, 10 percent of veterans lack health coverage of any kind. Another seven percent or so rely solely on Veterans Administration care. The situation is worse for those who are less educated, unmarried, young — the figure is 19 percent for those under 34 — and Texan.
Texas has more uninsured veterans — 130,000 — than any other state. In percentage terms, this puts it above just eight other states. As with the civilian populations, insurance coverage tracks strongly with full-time employment.
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The good news is that nearly half of uninsured veterans will qualify for expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and another 40 percent might get subsidies to participate in the state-run health insurance exchanges, which would be even better for Texas veterans, the study notes, if the state weren’t dragging its feet on the implementing the exchanges.
Of course, the percentage of uninsured veterans is still about half of the 24.6 percent figure for the population as a whole. Which I’m sure is very comforting for those who can’t afford to see a doctor.
