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Hopefully you will be covered by FFCC Medicaid until you turn 26 years old or by MTFCY until you turn 21 years old. However, if you are certain you do not qualify for it, or you are 26 or older, you will need to try to obtain health insurance from another source.
In Texas, Medicaid generally does not cover most adults unless you are disabled or elderly and receive SSI, are pregnant, or are receiving TANF. If you fall in one of those categories, you can apply for Medicaid the same way you apply for FFCC Medicaid. Regularly seeing a doctor during a pregnancy is very important for the health of your baby, so if you don’t have health insurance, apply for Medicaid as soon as you know you are pregnant.
If you can’t get Medicaid, you should see if you can get health insurance through the Federal Government Health Care Exchange. Depending on your income, you may qualify for a federal government subsidy that could pay some or most of the cost of the health insurance.
Apply online or go to a local site to get help applying. Find a local site here or call (800) 318-2596.
You should know that if the health care exchange determines that your family income is too low, you won’t qualify for a federal government subsidy. The federal government program calls for Texas to cover low- income people with Medicaid; however, Texas has not expanded Medicaid and is not providing Medicaid health insurance coverage to most low-income adults. If you do have insurance from the federal government health care exchange, you need to reapply every year between November 1st and December 15th.
You might be able to get health insurance through your employer, but with employer insurance you often have to pay a portion of the cost. When applying for jobs, you may also want to ask about health insurance. Many large businesses offer health care plans to their employees, including part-time employees. If you work in a profession that is part of a union, then it is also likely that some medical benefits are provided. If you attend college, you may have a student health insurance plan you can buy.
To help you understand your medical insurance choices, there are also resources like www.texashealthoptions.com.
Visit www.healthcare.gov for the following:
- Learn about updates to health insurance coverage options
- Apply for coverage each year between November 1st and December 15th (you should apply every year as your eligibility could change)
- Reapply for coverage whenever your income changes or you have a major life event like having a baby or getting married