Health Care

After leaving foster care, you will be responsible for the costs of your health care. Things like seeing a doctor or dentist, paying for a prescription, and getting emergency room care are very expensive. If you don’t have health insurance after you leave foster care, it will be very difficult to pay for health care.

Those who don’t have health insurance often are unable to get health care because they don’t have the ability to pay for it. Fortunately, most young adults who are 18 to 25 years old and were in foster care when they turned 18 qualify for a special free health insurance program for youth who age out of foster care called Former Foster Care Children’s (FFCC) Medicaid. As you prepare to turn 18 and make the transition out of foster care, you should be sure you become familiar with this health insurance program. The state of Texas provides Medicaid health insurance programs to several categories of people, including aged out foster youth.

Medicaid While Still in Foster Care

If you are 18 years old and older and stay in or return to extended foster care, including Supervised Independent Living, you are covered by Texas’ foster youth health insurance, which is often called Star Health or Medicaid. Your CPS caseworker should make sure you are on the insurance. However, since you are an adult, it will be up to you to schedule doctor appointments, make your medical decisions, and address questions about your insurance with the health insurance company and doctor.

As you sort out health insurance options and issues, be sure to get help from an adult who knows about health insurance choices and issues. Your transition support case manager or PAL staff are good people to contact for help. You can also contact the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project at (877) 313-3688 if you need guidance about how to apply or legal assistance if you are incorrectly denied the foster youth health insurance.

Medicaid Programs for Aged Out Foster Youth

The Former Foster Care Children’s (FFCC) Medicaid program is a type of free Medicaid insurance that most aged out foster youth are covered by.

You can get FFCC Medicaid if:

  • You are under the age of 26—coverage goes until the end of the month of your 26th birthday.
  • You were in the conservatorship of DFPS on your 18th birthday. Conservatorship means that there is a court order saying CPS has custody of you.
  • You were receiving foster youth Medicaid when you turned 18. (If you were in juvenile or adult jail or prison, you were not receiving Medicaid.)
  • You are a U.S. citizen or, if you are under the age of 21 and not a citizen, you are a legal permanent resident (green card holder) or other specified immigrant category, including deferred action with an approved SIJS application.
  • You currently live in Texas or turned 18 on or after January 1st, 2023, and live in any U.S. state or territory.

If you are under the age of 21 and do not qualify for the FFCC program because you were not receiving Medicaid when you turned 18, you may qualify for the Medicaid for Transitioning Foster Care Youth (MTFCY) program. The most common reason someone was not receiving Medicaid when they turned 18 is because they were in jail or prison.

The rules for MTFCY are:

  • You are under the age of 21—coverage goes until the end of the month of your 21st birthday.
  • You were in the conservatorship of DFPS on your 18th birthday. Conservatorship means that there is a court order saying CPS has custody of you—CPS can still be your conservator even if you are incarcerated.
  • You are a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident (green card holder) or other specified immigrant category, including deferred action with an approved SIJS application.
  • You do not have adequate health coverage.
  • You have household income at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (in 2024, this was $60,240 per year for a household of one).
  • You currently live in Texas.

MTFCY ends when you turn 21 and you will no longer qualify for any aged out foster youth Medicaid program.