Melanie Richburg, the CEO of Tahoka, Texas-based Lynn County Healthcare System, said about 15 percent of its patients are expected to lose Medicaid coverage during the redetermination process, NBC affiliate KCBD reported April 10.
"You’re going to see more emergency rooms with life-threatening situations because mammas and daddies don’t have the money to buy the asthma medicine that traditionally they had used with their Medicaid … and an emergency room is a very expensive place to receive primary care," Ms. Richburg told the outlet.
The rural health system has prepared for the redetermination process by hiring a patient navigator to help patients find ways to pay for their treatment or find new coverage, according to the report. It is still expected that some patients will be unable to pay for any care.
Texas is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA.