AUSTIN, Texas – Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the country again, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Those who want to change the state’s dismal ranking are sounding off online. 

A new social media campaign called #sickofitTX has people sharing the importance of access to health care. 

Laura Guerra-Cardus is with the Children's Defense Fund of Texas, one of the organizations behind the campaign. She said state lawmakers had an opportunity to remedy the state’s uninsured ranking last session with a measure she said would have stopped removing thousands of children from Medicaid each month due to red tape. The bipartisan measure died. 

"Where is health care coverage on the priority list of our Texas legislature? You know, it must be very far down the list," said Guerra-Cardus.  

Guerra-Cardus said Texas' healthcare problem isn't just homegrown. She also blamed a recent federal measure called the Public Charge rule. It factors in an immigrant's use of certain public assistance programs when they're applying for legal status. They might not be eligible for permanent residency if deemed a burden to taxpayers. 

"What many people don't know is that the large, large, large majority of Texans will not be impacted by the public charge rule," said Guerra-Cardus. 

The fear has led some immigrant families to take their citizen kids off Medicaid.  

"The use of benefits by your children will not impact your application," said Guerra-Cardus.  

The nonprofit, Foundation Communities, helps enroll about 5,000 families every year during the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace insurance open enrollment period. But between 2017 and 2018 the group said it saw a big decline in enrollment from immigrant households in Central Texas.

“Just last open enrollment period we saw a 14 percent decline in the number of immigrants who came to see us compared to the previous year and an even more pronounced decline among lawful, permanent residents who aren’t affected by public charge,” said Kori Hattemer, the director of Financial Programs for Foundation Communities.

Guerra-Cardus also said that a lack in federal funding for outreach and enrollment for signing up for health care coverage contributes to Texas' high uninsured rate. 

Earlier this month, the Census Bureau released national and state-level data that showed Texas also continues to lead the nation in having the largest percentage of uninsured residents as a whole, about 5 million Texans.

Click the video link above to watch our full interview with Hattemer.