Healthcare providers give updates on insurance, expanding medical services

As federal insurance policies face possible major changes and Georgetown’s population continues to grow, area healthcare leaders say they are bracing for challenges and new opportunities. 

At the November 19 Georgetown Chamber of Commerce luncheon, representatives from Lone Star Circle of Care and St. David’s Georgetown Hospital outlined expected spikes in the uninsured population, concerns over possibly expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and new medical services coming online to keep residents from needing care outside the city. 

Health insurance 

Jon Calvin, CEO of Lone Star Circle of Care, a nonprofit community health center based in Georgetown, said he is expecting there will be a spike in the uninsured population in 2026. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he said enrollment in Medicare and Affordable Care Act marketplace plans increased due to expanded subsidies that lowered premium costs. But in 2023, because of Medicaid “disenrollment” in Texas, some patients lost coverage. Lone Star Circle of Care is now helping individuals re-enroll. 

“[At Lone Star Circle of Care,] we have a pretty robust team of patient services representatives who are helping people enroll in coverage, trying to make sure they’re eligible for any program that’s available,” he said. 

With possible federal changes to the Affordable Care Act at the end of the year — including expiring tax credits — uninsured numbers could rise further. Lone Star Circle of Care offers reduced-cost services to patients whose incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. 

“We’re basically giving access to services significantly below the cost to provide those services,” Mr. Calvin said. “There are some challenges we’re facing today, especially in rural communities, for uninsured adults, where there’s some gaps there, but we’re trying to do as much as we can with the resources we have.” 

Through the January 15 open-enrollment deadline, Lone Star Circle of Care is offering appointments to help individuals shop for insurance plans and/or applying to Medicaid. To schedule an appointment, call 512-614-0074. 

Juliana Kerker, director of healthcare relations for HCA Healthcare in Texas, said the marketplace tax credits expire December 31, and there is currently no plan to extend them. 

“That is sort of the issue that Democrats used to shut down the government,” Ms. Kerker said. “So it’s been a piece of policy that has become politicized— even though it’s really just about making sure that people will have access to affordable health care insurance on the marketplace.” 

Ms. Kerker said she believes there is bipartisan recognition of the need for affordable healthcare. She said Texas avoided the steepest cuts in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act because it did not expand Medicaid. Still, hospitals and physicians are expected to feel the impact. A rural healthcare transformation fund tied to the OB3 bill could provide Texas with $1 billion per year over the next five years. 

“That [could help] ease Georgetown hospital, if somebody else has access to their rural hospital that’s closer in their neighborhood,” Ms. Kerker said. 

Healthcare innovations 

Kyle Landry, CEO of St. David’s Georgetown Hospital, said he is working to bring more services into the community so patients do not need to be transferred elsewhere. 

In the past year, the hospital launched a cast lab so patients can receive casts locally. It also introduced a new procedure for eliminating GERD symptoms. Mr. Landry said he hopes to launch a heart attack stenting program next year. 

During the pandemic, St. David’s Georgetown Hospital saw declines in available nurses and physicians. To rebuild staffing, the hospital partnered with several universities, including the Galen School of Nursing, to help train new employees. 

Byran Brown, chief information officer for St. David’s Healthcare, said the hospital is investing in note-taking technology that allows nurses and physicians to spend more time with patients. More time with providers can increase patient follow-through, Mr. Landry said. 

Mr. Brown said through St. David’s partnership with the ACA, they have access to large amounts of healthcare data to help diagnose patients. A program called ‘Nate’ is being used to ensure the nurses with the right experience are matched with patients. ‘Rapid AI’ is being used to ‘rapidly’ diagnose strokes, Mr. Brown said. 

St. Davids has also partnered with HCA healthcare to strengthen the hospital’s cyber security team, addressing scam emails that can compromise health data. 

“Believe it or not, I read before that your healthcare data is of worth more on the black market than your social security number or credit card numbers,” Mr. Brown said, emphasizing the importance of having strong passwords