How to keep your coverage at renewal
Medicaid eligibility is renewed once every 12 months. The state must first try to renew you using information it already has; if it cannot, it sends a form and gives you at least 30 days to return it. If your coverage ends because a form was missing, returning it within 90 days lets the state reconsider without a new application (42 CFR 435.916).
If you ask for a hearing before the date your coverage would end or be cut, the state generally must keep your services in place until the hearing decision (42 CFR 431.230).
For Black families
Texas Medicaid covers parents and caretaker relatives only up to $230 a month in income for a one-parent family of three, according to HHSC. Pregnant women qualify with household income up to 198 percent of the federal poverty level (203% counting the 5% income disregard), and under House Bill 12 (2023) their coverage has lasted 12 months after birth since March 1, 2024.
Where to get help in Texas
- The application line Texas Medicaid lists on its own pages: 2-1-1.
- Community health centers in Texas: /clinics/tx/. Federally funded community health centers discount their fees by income, with a full discount at or below the poverty line (42 CFR 51c.303(f)).
- Health profile for Black residents of Texas: /health/texas/.
- Free, trained helpers can walk you through a Medicaid or Marketplace application; find one near you at localhelp.healthcare.gov.
References & primary sources
Data refreshed:
More Texas Medicaid facets
If you have Medicaid, the coverage on this page is the route to use first: it costs you nothing and it is what these programs exist for. If you are not covered yet, there is still a free option. Our directory of free and charitable clinics lists centers by state. The option below is self-pay and is not billed to Medicaid. It is here for readers who are between coverage or who prefer to pay out of pocket:
Sesame Care
See a doctor online today.
Same-day video visits from $34
See a doctor today