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Medical Help for Uninsured Children in Austin, Texas

Texas is home to more than 1 million children without health insurance, according to the Texas Association of Health Plans. Parents of uninsured kids in Austin, have several ways to get their children access to doctors. From free vaccinations and low-cost clinics to government insurance programs, children in Austin can receive the preventive and emergency medical care they need.

  1. CommUnityCare

    • CommUnityCare offers several low-cost health centers in Austin.

      Formerly a department within the city of Austin, CommUnityCare became an independent nonprofit corporation in 2009. It operates 20 health care centers in Travis County, all of which are federally qualified under guidelines set forth by the national Bureau of Primary Health Care. Pediatric services are offered at the East Austin Health Center on Comal Street, the Northeast Austin Health Center on Ed Bluestein Boulevard, the Rosewood Zaragosa Health Center on Webberville Road and the South Austin Health Center on South First Street. They accept government-funded insurance as well as offering a sliding fee scale for eligible patients.

    City of Austin Services

    • The city of Austin provides free and low-cost vaccinations.

      Austin runs disease prevention programs including Big Shots, Shots for Tots and a vaccine distribution. The Shots for Tots program for children provides $10 immunizationsm, as of February 2011, at the North Clinic on Blessing Avenue and the South Clinic on West Stassney. Shots are not refused to those unable to pay. Austin also distributes free vaccines to area physicians. In conjunction with the Texas Department of State Health Services, this program includes more than 100 doctors in Travis County who will vaccinate children for no charge.

    Children's Medicaid

    • This state and federal health care program provides extensive benefits for eligible low-income children in Texas. Those insured through Medicaid receive checkups and office visits in addition to dental and eye care, prescription drugs and immunizations. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission determines eligibility for children through a financial review of the family's assets every six months. This review does not take into account the family's home or personal property. Children are eligible through age 18.

    Children's Health Insurance Program

    • Children's Health Insurance Program is another state and federal health care program administered through private insurance companies and health management organizations. Families who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford coverage on their own can insure their children through this program. CHIP must be renewed annually and the cost is based on income, but is never more than $50 a year per family. Co-payments for doctor visits, prescriptions and emergency care generally apply. Expect waiting periods and exceptions for coverage. Also, children are no longer eligible once they turn 19.

    Austin Children's Health Project

    • ACHP works with schools in low-income areas.

      The Austin Children's Health Project was established in 1995 to give underserved children access to basic medical care. ACHP works directly with three schools and a resource center in areas with a high population of low-income families. McBee, Houston and T.A. Brown elementary schools and Any Baby Can resource center are the locations of ACHP's outreach.

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