Genetic services for underserved populations. B. Needs assessment: Identifying the underserved: Needs assessment for genetic services in Texas

In summary, we found that the availability of genetic services for the Medicaid patients with the 11 selected disorders follow the general population distribution for Texas. In general, there is no major geographic factor limiting availability of services. We also found that the calculation of Medicaid dollars paid according to the size of the metropolitan area in which the patient resides indicates that there are fewer Medicaid dollars spent on these 11 genetic disorders per person in the population in the larger metropolitan areas. We conclude that preliminary review of these data indicate that the urban poor may have a greater need for medical services that deal with genetic disease.