A free guide from Cima Find Care

How to apply for Medicaid or CHIP in Texas

Q: How do I check on my application?

Log in to YourTexasBenefits.com or the Your Texas Benefits app, or call 2-1-1 and press 2 after picking a language.

Apply at YourTexasBenefits.com, in the Your Texas Benefits app, by calling 2-1-1 (pick a language, then press 2), or on a paper form by mail, fax or at a benefits office. One application checks your family for both Medicaid and CHIP. Here's who can get it, what to have ready, how long it takes, and what to do if the answer is no.

Updated October 27, 2026. General information, not medical, legal or insurance advice.

If you need help now: call 911 in an emergency. In a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988, any time. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is free, confidential and open 24/7 for treatment referrals.

The short version

Check who might qualify in your home, using the table below. If you're close to a limit, apply anyway. HHSC makes the call.
Gather your papers: ID, proof of citizenship or immigration status, and proof of income.
Apply online, in the app, by phone or on paper. It's one application for Medicaid and CHIP.
Watch your mail and your online account. HHSC may ask for more proof, with a due date.
Pick a health plan once you're approved, or HHSC picks one for you.
Renew when HHSC asks, and report changes like a new address or job within 10 days.

HHSC is the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the state agency that runs Medicaid and CHIP.

Who can get Texas Medicaid or CHIP

Texas Medicaid and CHIP are for certain groups with limited income. The limits below are monthly, before taxes, from HHSC's pages as of March 2026.

Group	Who it covers	Monthly income limit
Children's Medicaid	Children 18 and younger	$3,028 for a family of 3; $3,658 for a family of 4
CHIP	Children under 19 whose family earns too much for Medicaid	$4,577 for a family of 3; $5,528 for a family of 4
Medicaid for Pregnant Women	Pregnant women, during pregnancy and for 12 months after	$4,508 for a family of 3; $5,445 for a family of 4
CHIP Perinatal	The unborn baby of a pregnant woman who can't get Medicaid because of her income or immigration status	Up to 202% of the federal poverty level
Parents and caretakers	Parents or relatives raising a child, at very low income	$230 for a family of 3; $277 for a family of 4 (one-parent home)
People with disabilities and adults 65+	Anyone who gets SSI gets Medicaid automatically. Others can apply for Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities.	Different limits, which also count savings
Former foster youth	Young adults who aged out of Texas foster care at 18 while on Medicaid, until their 26th birthday month	No income limit

For Medicaid, you must live in Texas and be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen. HHSC can change these limits, so check its pages for the latest table. Programs for children with disabilities, foster care and Healthy Texas Women are explained in our plans guide.

If you're an adult without children at home

Most adults 19 to 64 who aren't pregnant, raising a child, or disabled can't get Texas Medicaid, however low their income. Texas hasn't expanded Medicaid to these adults under the Affordable Care Act. Other options:

HealthCare.gov: the federal Marketplace sells health plans, often with help paying. Open Enrollment starts November 1. HealthCare.gov lists this year's deadlines.
Healthy Texas Women: no-cost women's health and family planning care for women 15 to 44 with limited income. It isn't full Medicaid. See what it covers.
Low-cost local care: community health centers, your local mental health authority, and state-funded addiction treatment through HHSC's OSAR programs. Call 2-1-1 to find them, or read our guides to free and low-cost care in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth and El Paso.

Four ways to apply

How	What to do
Online	Go to YourTexasBenefits.com, make an account and apply. You can upload documents and check your case there.
The app	The Your Texas Benefits app lets you upload documents, report changes and see your Medicaid card on your phone.
By phone	Call 2-1-1 or 1-877-541-7905, pick a language, then press 2. A state worker starts your application over the phone and mails it to you to sign.
On paper	Get the health care application (Form H1205) from YourTexasBenefits.com or a benefits office. Mail it to HHSC, PO Box 149024, Austin, TX 78714-9968, fax it to 1-877-447-2839 (fax both sides), or take it to a benefits office. Use the address printed on the form you have.

For people 65 and older or with disabilities, Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities uses its own form, H1200. If you already get SSI, you don't need to apply: SSI comes with Medicaid in Texas.

What to have ready

You don't have to send everything up front. After you apply, HHSC tells you what it still needs. Common proof:

Identity: a driver's license or Texas ID card.
Citizenship: a U.S. passport, birth certificate (front and back) or naturalization certificate. If you were born in Texas, HHSC may be able to look up your birth record.
Immigration status, for non-citizens: a permanent resident card (I-551), an arrival record (I-94) or papers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Income: pay stubs from the last 60 days or a letter from your employer, self-employment records, and letters for Social Security, unemployment or VA benefits.
Bank statements, if you're applying for Medicaid for people 65+ or with disabilities, since those programs count savings.

Upload copies in your YourTexasBenefits.com account or the app, or take them to a benefits office. Keep the originals.

How long it takes

Most applications: federal rules give the state up to 45 days to decide.
Applications based on a disability: up to 90 days.
Pregnant women: HHSC policy is to decide within 15 working days.

If HHSC sends a letter asking for proof, send it by the due date on the letter. Missing it is a common reason applications are denied. Check your status in your online account, in the app, or by calling 2-1-1. If you need treatment while you wait, ask the program about its sliding-scale fee or state-funded options; don't put off a crisis.

Medicaid or CHIP: HHSC decides from one application

You don't choose between Medicaid and CHIP. If your child's family income is too high for Children's Medicaid, HHSC checks CHIP automatically.

Medicaid has no enrollment fee. A provider who takes your Medicaid generally can't charge you for covered services.
CHIP may have a yearly enrollment fee and small copays, based on income.
Both give children 12 months of coverage once approved, even if your income changes, until they turn 19.

Family income	CHIP enrollment fee
At or below 151% of the federal poverty level	$0
Above 151%, up to 186%	$35
Above 186%, up to 201%	$50

The fee is per family, not per child, and covers the whole enrollment period. Copays depend on income: a few dollars a visit for lower-income families, up to $35 for higher ones, with a yearly cap. American Indian and Alaska Native families, and CHIP Perinatal members, pay no fees or copays.

After you're approved: choosing a health plan

Most people on Texas Medicaid or CHIP get care through a health plan they choose from at least two in their area. If you don't choose, HHSC picks one for you.

To choose, call the Texas Medicaid and CHIP enrollment broker at 800-964-2777, or choose online at YourTexasBenefits.com.
Before you pick, ask whether your doctor, your child's therapist, or the program you want is in that plan's network. Our guide to STAR, CHIP and STAR+PLUS explains why that matters.
Changing: Medicaid members can change plans at any time. CHIP members can change in their first 90 days (120 for CHIP Perinatal), then only for certain reasons. A change takes 15 to 45 days.
Your cards: keep your Your Texas Benefits Medicaid card even when you change plans; your plan also sends its own card. You can print a temporary card from your online account or show it in the app.

Renewing and reporting changes

Renewal: HHSC first tries to renew you using records it already has. If it needs more, it mails a renewal form. Return it, with any proof, by the due date. You can also renew online: look for your case marked "Ready for renewal".
Report changes within 10 days, such as a new address, job, income or someone moving in or out. Do it online, in the app or by calling 2-1-1.
Keep your address current. A renewal letter sent to an old address is an easy way to lose coverage.

If you're turned down

Read the notice. It says why and the date the decision takes effect. If the reason is missing proof, send it or apply again.
Ask for a fair hearing if you think the decision is wrong. Ask within 90 days, in writing, by calling 2-1-1, or at a benefits office. To keep benefits that are being cut off while you appeal, ask before the effective date on the notice.
If your health plan denies a service, appeal to the plan first, by the deadline in its letter. If the plan still says no, you can ask for a state fair hearing within 120 days, and you can also ask for an independent external medical review.

Free help with a health plan: the HHS Office of the Ombudsman, 866-566-8989 for managed care, or 800-252-8154 for behavioral health.

Finding a therapist or program that takes Medicaid

With a health plan, the provider has to be in your plan's network, not just "take Medicaid." Call the member services number on your plan card, or use its online directory, then confirm with the provider.

To look yourself, search Texas providers by insurance on Cima Find Care. Of the Texas addiction treatment programs we list, 348 outpatient programs, 141 intensive outpatient programs (IOP) and 157 programs offering medication for addiction say they accept Medicaid. By city: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth and El Paso. By plan: treatment by insurance plan.

When you call, ask: "Do you take my plan," and name it, "and are you taking new patients?" Choosing a level of care? Read IOP vs PHP vs weekly therapy. Looking for help for a teen? Read drug and alcohol treatment for teens or what to do when your teen vapes. Choosing a person? Read how to choose a therapist in Texas. For copays, appeals and parity, see using your insurance for therapy in Texas. More guides are on our guides page.

Questions people ask

Can I apply for my children if I don't qualify myself?

Yes. Children's Medicaid and CHIP look at the child. Many parents who can't get Medicaid have children who can, so apply for them.

Does it cost anything to apply?

No. Applying is free. After approval, CHIP may have a yearly enrollment fee of up to $50 per family, depending on income.

Does Texas Medicaid cover addiction treatment and therapy?

Yes. Texas Medicaid and CHIP cover mental health and substance use care, including counseling, psychiatric care, withdrawal care, residential treatment and medication for addiction. Our plans guide lists what each program covers.

How do I check on my application?

What if I'm pregnant and can't get Medicaid because of my immigration status?

CHIP Perinatal may cover your prenatal care and the birth, if your household income is at or below 202% of the federal poverty level. Apply while you're pregnant: you can't get it after the baby is born.