About Low-Cost Health Insurance for Children in Texas

Numerous programs are available nationwide to assist parents with health care and insurance for children, from infants to college students. Many Texas programs are free for low-income families and children and others are low-cost. Children in Texas can receive health-care assistance if parents know where to find available programs.

Medicaid

• Medicaid provides insurance coverage to low-income children in Texas. Medicaid also has managed care in Texas, and this is State of Texas Access Reform or STAR. This program is available in larger cities--Austin, Lubbock, Dallas and San Antonio--and also the southeast region of Chambers, Liberty, Hardin, Jefferson and Orange counties. STAR offers a primary care physician and unlimited prescriptions as well as dental care for children. Texas Health Steps is another program that provides dental and medical checkups to children with Medicaid up to age 21, with assistance in making appointments and transportation.

Community

• Primary Health Care, or PHC, is a state program that helps fund community health clinics available to anyone, including children, whose families are at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level who do not have other available insurance or medical care. Qualifying and co-pay might be required to use the clinic, but this provides medical care without monthly health insurance payments to qualifying children.

  The SKIP program is for state employees who are in the Employees Retirement System of Texas. State Kids Insurance Program pays most of the premiums for a child's health insurance coverage for qualifying state employees. The employee pays $15 to $25 a month in 2010, depending on income.

Children's Health Insurance Program

• The Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, is another layer of insurance protection available to Texas children. This program provides insurance coverage for children whose family earns too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to purchase private insurance.

  WIC, or Women, Infants and Children Program, is available to men caring for children under 5 years old as well as women and children. The income standard is gross income less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level, and services are free, requiring no monthly insurance payment.

Schools

• School-based health centers provide medical and dental care to children in Texas, with emphasis on the uninsured. There are 85 centers in Texas providing medical care without insurance requirements. The school-based health center can provide general care and specialized services but must have consent of the parent or guardian, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services website.

Specialized Care

• Programs such as Children with Special Health Care Needs, or CSHCN, are operated by the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership and are available to children under 21 in Texas who have limited income or cystic fibrosis patients of any age.

  Vision and hearing screening is available in Texas to age 20 and is required when children first enter school.

  The Oral Health Program operated by the Department of State Health Services operates in six cities in Texas including Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Lubbock and Tyler. This program provides dental care to low-income pre-school and school-age children who are Texas residents.