Austin, Texas – In 1999, Randy Fritz faced an impossible task as the executive assistant to Texas Health Commissioner William “Reyn” Archer III. He had only 10 months to create a new statewide health insurance program for poor children who did not qualify for Medicaid. The urgency stemmed from public pressure to roll out the program quickly, especially with Governor George W. Bush’s presidential candidacy in the works. The success of the program would give Bush a political boost.
The Texas Children’s Health Insurance Program (