{"id":134069,"date":"2026-01-22T21:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T21:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134069\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T21:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T21:30:09","slug":"a-growing-concern-for-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134069\/","title":{"rendered":"A Growing Concern For Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health care costs are something nearly every family in Lubbock<\/a> has felt\u2014at the pharmacy counter, at the doctor\u2019s office, or when an insurance bill shows up in the mail. This week, that issue took center stage in Washington, led by the congressman who represents much of West Texas.<\/p>\n

\"KTEM-AMLubbock\u2019s Congressman Leads Health Care Cost Hearing<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington<\/a>, who represents Texas\u2019 19th Congressional District<\/a>, which includes Lubbock, hosted a House Budget Committee hearing titled \u201cReverse the Curse: Skyrocketing Health Care Costs and America\u2019s Fiscal Future.\u201d The hearing focused on the growing cost of health care and how it impacts both American families and the federal budget.<\/p>\n

Arrington opened the hearing by noting that rising health care costs are one area where Democrats and Republicans often agree on the problem\u2014even if they disagree on solutions.<\/p>\n

Health Care\u2019s Growing Share of the Economy<\/p>\n

According to Arrington, health care spending now accounts for nearly one-fifth of the entire U.S. economy, totaling almost $6 trillion. Roughly half of that spending comes from the federal government.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Lubbock Drivers Enjoy Some Of The Lowest Gas Prices Around<\/a><\/p>\n

He pointed out how dramatically things have changed over the decades. In the 1980s, health care spending was about 70% private and 30% government-funded. Today, it\u2019s closer to a 50\/50 split. Excluding interest payments, about one-third of the federal budget now goes toward health care.<\/p>\n

Arrington also highlighted long-term growth, noting that national health care spending was around $19 billion in 1975 and has grown to nearly $2 trillion today–a figure projected to double within the next decade.<\/p>\n

Impact on Families and National Priorities<\/p>\n

While population growth and aging demographics play a role, Arrington argued they aren\u2019t the only drivers behind rising costs. He emphasized that health care expenses are hitting young families and middle-class households especially hard.<\/p>\n

He also warned that rising health care spending is crowding out other national priorities, such as defense, and contributing to growing federal debt levels–now higher, as a share of the economy, than during World War II.<\/p>\n

A Call for Broader Reform Discussions<\/p>\n

Arrington acknowledged criticism on both sides of the aisle, expressing disappointment with past policy decisions while also saying Republicans could do more to advance market-based reforms. He stressed that simply expanding insurance coverage does not automatically make care affordable for families.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Lubbock Is Using A.I. More Than You Think<\/a><\/p>\n

Toward the end of his remarks, Arrington called for a more focused conversation on the actual delivery of health care–looking at areas like cost structures, efficiency, and long-term sustainability–rather than strictly partisan debates.<\/p>\n

Why This Matters in Lubbock<\/p>\n

For families in Lubbock, the discussion in Washington reflects everyday realities: higher premiums, rising deductibles, and increasing out-of-pocket costs. While policy debates continue, Arrington said the goal remains clear–finding workable solutions that lower costs for patients, families, and taxpayers alike.<\/p>\n

As the hearing concluded, Arrington urged lawmakers not to miss what he described as a rare opportunity to address health care costs in a meaningful way–an issue that continues to impact households across West Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n

Arrington Welcomes Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins to West Texas<\/p>\n

House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) was joined in West Texas by Brooke Rollins, the 33rd\u00a0United States Secretary of Agriculture.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Landon King<\/p>\n

What is your favorite childhood memory associated with Lubbock?<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Landon King<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Health care costs are something nearly every family in Lubbock has felt\u2014at the pharmacy counter, at the doctor\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169,223,2459],"class_list":{"0":"post-134069","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lubbock","8":"tag-lubbock","9":"tag-lubbock-headlines","10":"tag-lubbock-news","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-video"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}