SAN ANTONIO – Democratic leaders and other supports of the Affordable Care Act voiced frustration with Republican state leaders and roadblocks to implementing the new health care law.
"It's almost like they don't want families like mine to gain the same access to health insurance," said Valeria Rodriguez with the Texas Organizing Project.
Rodriguez, who said her family has not been able to afford health insurance because of pre-existing conditions, plans to enroll when the online marketplace opens Tuesday.
The marketplace is being facilitated by the federal government because the state, like many others, refused. And, there's been no state-led campaign to let consumers know about it.
"Our state Department of Insurance is doing nothing to help," said Democratic state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte. "It's almost like they don't want it to succeed at all."
One of the biggest points of contention is Texas' refusal to expand Medicaid to include approximately 1.5 million adults. They likely will remain uninsured.
That's an issue for charitable hospitals who will continue to treat the uninsured who come through their doors.
"We're going to continue to do what we're doing for the unfunded, but the more we can get people covered in some fashion, some form, the better because our health care systems are going broke trying to take care of this burden," said Kevin Moriarty, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas.
Another frustration is the governor's directive that so-called navigators who have been training to help people sign up for marketplace coverage must have more training in Texas.
"The governor is so politically engrained on defeating the Affordable Care Act because of his dislike of the President, that he's willing to forgo the good from this for Texas families," Van De Putte said.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry' office issued this statement on Friday:
"The current Medicaid system is unsustainable, and it would be both reckless and fiscally irresponsible to expand an already broken system. The fact is, Medicaid needs to be reformed into a system that reinforces personal responsibility, controls costs and focuses on quality health outcomes. Gov. Perry has directed HHSC to seek a waiver that will give Texas the flexibility to operate the Medicaid program in this state in a manner that best suits the needs of our unique population. The governor believes that each state should have the authority to run their programs in the most efficient and effective manner possible - without having to run back to the federal government to ask 'Mother, may I?' The current Medicaid system is broken, and the only hope for its sustainability lays in the state's ability to implement state based solutions that control costs and focus on quality health outcomes."
For a list of recent stories Marilyn Moritz has done, click here.