The state of Texas continues to grow. Texas is the second most populous state in the nation and continues to gain more new residents reaching a state population of more than 31 million residents in 2024.[1] With this increase in population, the priorities and top issues in the state may experience a shift. Episcopal Health Foundation and SSRS conducted the sixth wave of the Texas Health Tracking Survey with a representative sample of Texas adult residents from November 11 through December 20, 2024 to understand opinions on state health policy, issues accessing and affording health care, and experiences with the non-medical drivers of health.

The vast majority of Texans say rising housing costs (85%), obesity (73%), mental health issues (68%), and prediabetes/diabetes (67%) were major health-related problems for the state.

Nearly half of Texas adults have difficulty affording health care (46%) with significant disparities by race and ethnicity as well as household income and age. The high costs of medical care leads many to skip or postpone getting the health care they need. Overall, almost two-thirds of Texas adults have skipped or postponed some sort of health care because of the cost (63%) in the past 12 months.

While direct access to and ability to afford health care are major drivers of health, there are a variety of non-medical factors that may also impact health such as affordable housing, transportation, availability of recreational spaces, and access to fresh and healthy food. These non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH) are important to many Texans. In fact, 70 percent believe it is very or extremely important for the state Medicaid program to address these non-medical factors for its enrollees.

[1]https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/population-estimates-international-migration.html