With its friendly people, low tax rates and excellent higher education system, all Texans can agree that Texas is a great place to call home and raise a family. And many from other states are now catching on as well. As Texas becomes a leader in many industries, businesses are flocking to the state and with them come thousands of new Texas families.

And now, both long-time Texas residents and newcomers alike have the great fortune of experiencing another benefit of Texas living – better access to affordable healthcare.  On Feb. 27, Sen. Charles Schwertner introduced a telemedicine bill that will expand much needed access to care in our state. As Texas’ population grows, the timing for this bill could not be better. In addition, on March 2, Representative Four Price introduced HB 2697, the companion bill in the House.

The numbers don’t lie. Our great state is seriously behind. Out of 254 counties, 35 have no physician of any kind and 80 have five or less. Texas is ranked 46th nationally in the number of primary care physicians. Couple this problem with a growing population, and these numbers will only continue to worsen, as will the number of un- or underinsured if we don’t make necessary changes.

Surprising to some, Texas’ healthcare drought is a pervasive problem affecting both urban and rural communities. I’ve spent the majority of my professional career as a primary care physician in East Texas, serving the Longview community for decades, as well as the DFW area working in urgent care. I have witnessed the burden on personal health and the financial strain on families that lack of access to providers has placed on small-town and big city Texans alike.

Luckily, the answer could lie in the rise of telemedicine.

I’ve been working as a telemedicine provider for over five years now and have seen first-hand the benefits of telemedicine access in our state. It is safe and easy to provide patients necessary care for treatable conditions like pinkeye, rashes, UTIs and colds. I can calm worried parents and treat their children’s conditions without the inconvenient experience of waiting to see a primary care physician. With telemedicine, I am able to devote more time to my patients and fully answer their questions, uninterrupted, while reviewing their medical histories just as thoroughly as if they were in the office.

For an average of $45 a visit – and even less under some employer plans – patients can receive excellent care from work or home without the high deductible, lost work productivity, and long wait times that necessarily go with a traditional doctor’s office visit, all while getting the treatment and prescriptions they need sooner, cheaper and more conveniently.

So, to our state legislators, I look forward to seeing SB 1107 and HB 2697 voted into law. Thank you for giving us another reason to love this great state, and for allowing Texans to make the best healthcare choices for themselves.

E.A. Clark, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified physician with more than 37 years experience, most recently serving as Chief Medical Officer for an urgent care company in the DFW area. He has been a Teladoc consultant since 2011.