Garland, TX — On May 5, 2025, MD Health Pathways presented a proposal to the Garland City Council during a work session, outlining a program aimed at improving community health through access to preventative care. This initiative responds to a concerning rise in the percentage of uninsured citizens in Garland, which increased from 25.2% to 25.8% between 2022 and 2023. For context, Texas had an average uninsured rate of 16.6% in 2022, while the national average was around 8.2% in early 2024.
Program Features
The MD Health Pathways proposal includes several key elements:
- Cost Structure: Residents will incur a charge of approximately $6 per month on their utility bills for the service, which they must opt out of if they do not wish to participate. MD Health Pathways plans to offer Garland a reduced fee down from $9 to encourage broader community participation.
- Automatic Enrollment: All residents will be automatically opted into the program, with an anticipated opt-out rate of 12-15% that will eventually level off. This approach has raised concerns regarding transparency, as the first month’s fee will be charged without prior notification.
- Service Delivery: Each interaction with the service begins with a text message, and video visits will include translation services to help non-English speakers.
- Community Engagement: To effectively serve the community, MD Health Pathways intends to hire additional doctors. The program will be available to all households—up to 10 people per household—and will be free for city employees.
Economic Considerations
According to the Trust for America’s Health, investments in preventative healthcare could yield a return of approximately $4.2 to $7.2 for every dollar spent. However, this investment will be funded by residents, some of whom rely heavily on every dollar that comes into their households. As the council deliberates the program, questions arise about the potential for offering rebates or subsidies to qualifying households to alleviate the potential financial burden.
Council Concerns
During the presentation, council members raised several important questions. Councilmember Margaret Lucht inquired about how the program would accommodate residents who do not have cell phones capable of receiving text messages. The representatives of MD Health Pathways suggested a messaging system on their website that could initiate a visit.
Councilmember Williams expressed interest in the measures MD Health Pathways would take to build public trust, as well as what specific support they are seeking from the city and local schools. MD Health Pathways is requesting a “warm introduction” to the leadership of the school district to facilitate communication about their services.
Public Reviews of MD Health Pathways
On their Facebook page, MD Health Pathways only has 5 reviews, with only one negative review coming from Sarah Pozo, “This company goes to cities and has them hide the costs of their services in water bills. Then IF citizens realize what is happening then they can take said charge off their bill. They have come to our city council on September 3rd in Henderson Texas (you can see the meeting on youtube) and openly admitted they can only operate if citizens are automatically opted in bc they cannot afford to operate if clients have to choose to pay for them. They claim that they cannot work for clients “opting in”. So basically in a free market their business doesn’t work and they need the governments help to get their client list boosted.“
Another review and all others of the 5 reviews were positive, including one review by Glenda Thomas, who recommends MD Health Pathways. She shared, “I highly recommend MD Pathways. I used their service with my mom, who was sick on a weekend. Instead of taking her to the ED I was able to call MD Pathways and they immediately responded to me and listened to our needs and concerns. The doctor that responded back was so caring, knowledgeable, and compassionate. She was also able to prescribe medicine to our local pharmacy that we started the same day. This is such a needed service in a rural area where I live and I am so thankful we have MD Pathways to help!“
The presentation by MD Health Pathways has ignited discussion among council members and residents, emphasizing the need for accessible healthcare solutions in Garland. As the council continues to evaluate the proposal, the focus remains on ensuring that the program effectively serves the community while addressing concerns about transparency, economic impact, and public trust. Residents may watch the full work session here.
