Right now, too many Texans are hearing, “I'm sorry, you don’t qualify,” in their quest to access healthcare. Texas has the largest percentage of uninsured people in the United States: six million people. Fortunately, approximately three million uninsured people are eligible for affordable coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Unfortunately, one million Texans do not qualify, and are left stranded in the coverage gap because the state of Texas has not accepted billions of federal dollars that could have expanded coverage. These are low income Texans who do not qualify to enroll in Texas’ Medicaid program but also do not make enough to qualify for subsidized insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace.

This includes an estimated 66,000 veterans and their spouses.

According to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, only parents with incomes below 19% of poverty (approximately $4500/year for a family of four) qualify for Medicaid, and adults under 65 without children are ineligible, period. Texas can move these families out of the coverage gap. For example, Kentucky extended Medicaid to low-income adults and 175,000 uninsured adults have gained coverage in just a few months.

Tara Taylor, 27, Houston, lost her job in May of 2013. Although she’s received unemployment, her income is too low to be able to afford to buy insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace. She is hoping to find another job with benefits before she gets sick or needs to see a doctor. For now, she is working as an unpaid intern. Tara has a 4 year old who is covered by Medicaid, and she’s concerned about what will happen if she gets sick.

Debra Walker, early 60s, Houston, is a part-time home health care provider in Houston. She had a good job with health insurance until she got laid off in 2007. Debra was recently diagnosed with Diabetes, and she's trying to manage by getting discounted medications through a county program for low-income uninsured people. Walker estimates she earned about $10,000 last year, which would qualify her for healthcare under the income cutoff for the Medicaid expansion. She does not receive health care coverage through her employer and does not make enough to pay for unsubsidized insurance through the Marketplace.

A large number of organizations dedicated to connecting people with necessary healthcare joined together on February 5, 2014, to kick-off efforts to close the Texas coverage gap. These organizations plan a concerted effort during the next legislative session to ensure that all Texans have a way to get affordable healthcare coverage. They launched the event in the Speaker’s conference room at the Capitol by announcing the Texas Left Me Out campaign. They spotlighted stories of people who are without coverage options and introduced the organizations that support closing the gap. At the event, supporting organizations will deliver a letter to the legislature about this issue.

Also on February 5, they joined MomsRising, a national network of people dedicated to building a more family-friendly America, for a Twitter chat. To read the discussion, which included statistic, research, resources, and tips, search the hashtag #wellnesswed and @momsrising.

To take action, visit the Texas Left Me Out website, newly launched in both English and Spanish, which is run by the Cover Texas Now coalition. At the website, the coalition is collecting stories of those who find themselves in the coverage gap. The website also hosts a petition to collect names of those who want to close the coverage gap and improve access to insurance and healthcare. Come add your name to the quick and easy short petition: texasleftmeout.org or En Español TejasMeDejoAtras.org. You can also call 866-697-3155 or text “Leftout,” or “Cobertura” in Spanish, to 30644 to connect to the campaign.