Hospital executives and the county's public health director told Denton County mayors that a rising number of uninsured patients and a thin supply of behavioral health providers are straining care across the county, according to County Judge Andy Eads' newsletter dated Oct. 30.
The Denton County Mayors Council held its luncheon at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton with a panel of three: Scott Domingue, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at Texas Health Resources; Jeff Reecer, president of the Denton hospital; and Dr. Matt Richardson, who directs Denton County Public Health.
Uninsured care and the hospital's bill
Reecer told the group the number of people without insurance keeps climbing and that hospitals absorb that cost, according to the newsletter. It says Texas Health Presbyterian Denton puts roughly $20 million a year toward care for patients who cannot pay, with a larger figure across the Texas Health Resources system.
Domingue described one goal in the hospital system's five-year plan as building "enough infrastructure to catch people when they fall and help them back up." He said at least half of people will deal with a mental illness such as depression or anxiety at some point, the newsletter reports, and that more households are at risk even in a county that is doing well overall.
