CBS 19 - The Eye of East Texas News - East Texas Healthcare - Part 1

East Texas Healthcare - Part 1

Healthcare reform is getting plenty of attention on a national level - but there's a lot going on right here at home.

Over the next four weeks, we'll look at issues - good and bad - starting with the state of healthcare in East Texas.

East Texas has plenty of healthcare providers, and offers state of the art medical care and trauma services in nationally recognized hospitals.

We've got excellent education and training programs for healthcare workers. But with all this abundance we've got significant problems.

"We're primarily rural in our 35 county East Texas area that we serve in so there's a lot of access issues," commented Dr. Paul McGaha.

He should know. He's been the East Texas Regional Director for the Texas Department of State Health Services for over 14 years.

"Some people don't have access to a primary care physician or a clinic or even a hospital because of distances, because of their social standing, because of lack of insurance," McGaha added.

In fact, one out of every four East Texans has no health insurance and no doctor of their own. 

So when they become ill, they present to an emergency room which is obviously the most expensive place they can go for healthcare. That cost is passed on to you, the consumer.

Then there's the way we choose to live our lives.

"We have the highest rate of smoking in the entire state," Dr. McGaha said.

That, coupled with lack of exercise and poor nutrition has resulted in high rates of heart disease, stroke and cancer. These three chronic diseases cost East Texans almost $9 billion every year.

There are some bright spots - several cities in East Texas have enacted no smoking ordinances in their communities and are adding walking paths to city plans.

Next week, we'll look at where to get healthcare when you have no insurance.

America spends 2.5 trillion dollars for healthcare every year. It's 15% of our gross national product.