Eleven U.S. House representatives, all Texas Democrats, are pushing government officials to act on the state’s Medicaid application backlog, according to a Nov. 10 news release.
The news release said the Medicaid backlog grew from 1,671 pending applications at the beginning of 2026 to 237,505 by early September 2026. Texas processed 65% of applications on time in July, down from 81% last year. Between September 2025 and July 2026, Medicaid and CHIP participants dropped by roughly 247,000, according to the release.
The lawmakers sent letters to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, and Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth. The representatives requested an investigation, which would also encompass contracted vendors, and asked federal officials to require Texas to adopt a corrective action plan.
The representatives also encouraged Ms. Muth to seek funding from the Texas Economic Stabilization Fund, the state’s “rainy day fund,” to address the backlog.
A letter pointed to HR 1 as a key pressure point that has “exacerbated Texas’ administrative bottlenecks and placed strain on [the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s] already overwhelmed and mismanaged system.”
According to a KXAN report, the state has been struggling with healthcare and food assistance application backlogs for years.
“HHSC has struggled with application processing in the past, which suggests the problem may be structural. Our concern is about a lack of plans in place for what comes next,” one Nov. 5 letter said.
The representatives asked for responses by Nov. 30.
Becker’s has contacted HHS, CMS and HHSC, and will update this story if more information becomes available.
