One fourth of all Texans do not have health insurance, that is more than the average one in six uninsured persons nationwide. Texas also has large numbers of small rural towns where access to adequate health insurance and healthcare in general is hard to come by. Many businesses are small operations like service stations or dinners where employers either can not or do not offer health plans. County hospitals and clinics are often run down or struggling to stay open because they are inundated with Medicare and Medicaid claims as well as unpaid bills from the uninsured and underinsured. Many rural inhabitants work hard just to make ends meet and items like health insurance can often be luxuries. This could account for why more rural citizens tend to be sicker than urban and suburban dwellers.
Read more: Poor in rural areas find it more difficult to get health care, insurance (Belleville News-Democrat) Earl Hernandez works at a small gas station in this rural community, where he was born and raised. Mostly he fixes tires, and his hands are essential for work.
