It is more than a failure to address this. It is an active stance against doctors who help the poor. Texas Medical Board has taken no position or stance to address this problem but does seem to selectively help maintain the status quo in Texas.
http://www.aapsonline.org/txaction.phpThis otherwise right-wing group has tried to address this issue. Now it may be that even membership in this group is enough to be a problem. In the eyes of TMB.
Keep in mind that treating people for a lot less money rocks the boat. Do not doubt that income is the driving factor for a whole lot of "medical" providers - doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc.
Ask someone on Medicaid in Texas how hard or easy it is to get in to a doctor. Ask someone with no insurance how hard or easy it is.
The following is not a comment on thew group cited in this post, although it may apply. How many doctors in Texas do charity work on any kind of regular basis? I do not count clinics which pay the doctors full salaries and exclude certain parts of the population from treatment. There are some, and that is not charity. That is a tax status. There is a difference.
Once a year visits may be better than nothing but are not good care for most people. The biggest burden falls on people with chronic illness who need ongoing follow-up.
True, a one-time ER visit is expensive but when it involves a chronic illness that's only the beginning.
This is not just a rant because the solution is simple. Single-payer healthcare. It would solve a whole of of other problems too.