STAR, STAR Kids, STAR+PLUS and CHIP: Texas Medicaid plans explained

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.

Every program in one table

Program	Who it's for	How you get it	Health plans
STAR	Most children, pregnant women, and parents and caretakers with low income	Apply for Medicaid; HHSC places you	Choose from the plans in your area
STAR Kids	Children and young adults 20 and younger with disabilities, such as those with SSI or in the Medically Dependent Children Program	Placed automatically when Medicaid comes through a disability	Choose from the plans in your area
STAR Health	Children in foster care (state conservatorship), youth 21 and younger in extended foster care, and some former foster youth	Enrolled through the foster care system	One plan statewide: Superior HealthPlan
STAR+PLUS	Adults 21 and older with disabilities, and adults 65 and older, including many who also have Medicare	Through SSI or Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities	Choose from the plans in your area
CHIP	Children under 19 whose family earns too much for Medicaid, up to 201% of the federal poverty level	Same application as Medicaid; HHSC checks CHIP automatically	Choose from the plans in your area; yearly fee up to $50 and small copays
CHIP Perinatal	The unborn baby of a pregnant woman who can't get Medicaid because of her income (up to 202% of the poverty level) or immigration status	Apply during pregnancy, not after the birth	Choose within 15 days of the approval letter, or HHSC picks; no fees or copays
Healthy Texas Women	Women 15 to 44 who aren't pregnant, can't get full Medicaid or CHIP, and have limited income	Apply separately; a parent applies for teens 15 to 17	See providers enrolled in Healthy Texas Women
Traditional Medicaid	Medicaid members who aren't in STAR, STAR Kids, STAR Health or STAR+PLUS, such as people living in state hospitals or state supported living centers, and some newborns until they join a plan	HHSC places you	No health plan: any Texas Medicaid provider, paid by the state through TMHP

At 21, STAR Kids and STAR Health end at the end of the birthday month. Members move to STAR, or to STAR+PLUS if they qualify. To apply for any of these, see how to apply for Texas Medicaid or CHIP.

Program vs health plan: two different things

• The program (STAR, STAR Kids, STAR+PLUS, CHIP) sets who qualifies and the basic benefits. HHSC places you in it.
• The health plan is the company that runs your care inside that program: its network of doctors and therapists, its approvals and its member services line. You choose it, from at least two in your area, through the enrollment broker at 800-964-2777 or at YourTexasBenefits.com. If you don't choose, HHSC picks one.

Texas has 13 managed care service areas, and the plans differ by area and program. HHSC's service area map lists them. Plans may also offer extra services beyond the basic benefits; HHSC's comparison charts list them for each area, and its report cards compare quality.

What each covers for mental health and substance use care

Texas Medicaid and CHIP both cover mental health and substance use care (for children and teens, see drug and alcohol treatment for teens and help for a teen who vapes). HHSC's list includes:

• individual, family and group therapy; psychiatric evaluation and medication management;
• hospital and inpatient psychiatric care;
• substance use counseling, alone or in a group; withdrawal care, outpatient or residential; residential treatment; and medication for addiction;
• peer specialist services, mental health rehabilitation and mental health case management.

Outpatient and residential addiction treatment must come from a state-licensed chemical dependency treatment facility. Medication for addiction can also be prescribed in a doctor's or nurse practitioner's office.

Program	Mental health and substance use care
STAR	The full Medicaid benefit above. Plans may also offer partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) in place of a hospital stay. Peer specialist services are for adults 21 and older.
STAR Kids	The full Medicaid benefit for children and young adults, alongside the program's long-term services. Plans may offer PHP and IOP in place of a hospital stay.
STAR Health	Medical, dental, vision, prescriptions, behavioral health and long-term services for children and youth in foster care, from one statewide plan.
STAR+PLUS	Inpatient and outpatient mental health care and psychiatry, plus mental health rehabilitation and case management for members without Medicare. Plans may offer PHP and IOP in place of a hospital stay.
CHIP	Therapy, psychiatric care, hospital care and substance use treatment. Texas removed CHIP's limits on mental health and substance use treatment in 2010.
CHIP Perinatal	Covers the unborn baby: prenatal care and the birth, then two postpartum visits for the mother. After the birth, the baby moves to Medicaid or CHIP. The mother doesn't get 12 months of postpartum coverage, but may then qualify for Healthy Texas Women.
Healthy Texas Women	Women's health and family planning. HTW Plus adds mental health and substance use care after a pregnancy (below).
Traditional Medicaid	The same Medicaid benefits, from any enrolled provider, with approvals through TMHP instead of a plan.

Federal parity rules apply to Texas Medicaid and CHIP plans: limits and approvals for mental health and substance use care can't be stricter than for medical care. Choosing between programs like IOP and PHP? Read IOP vs PHP vs weekly therapy, and for costs, what IOP and PHP cost in Texas.

Healthy Texas Women and HTW Plus

Healthy Texas Women (HTW) gives no-cost women's health and family planning care, such as exams, screenings and birth control, to women 15 to 44. In March 2026 the income limit was 204.2% of the federal poverty level, $2,716 a month for a household of one. It isn't full Medicaid. Women whose Medicaid for Pregnant Women ends are checked for HTW automatically.

HTW Plus adds care for the 12 months after a pregnancy, for HTW members. There's no separate application. It covers:

• postpartum depression and other mental health conditions, including therapy and peer specialist services;
• substance use disorders, including drug, alcohol and tobacco use: screening and referral, outpatient counseling, help quitting smoking, medication for addiction and peer specialist services;
• some physical health conditions, such as blood pressure and heart conditions.

Find an HTW provider at HealthyTexasWomen.org.

If you also have Medicare

Many people 65 and older or with disabilities have both Medicare and Medicaid. Many adults with both are in STAR+PLUS. Medicare pays first for the care it covers, including mental health visits, and Medicaid pays last. Texas's Medicare-Medicaid demonstration plans ended December 31, 2025, and those members moved to STAR+PLUS plans. HHSC's page on Medicare and Medicaid dual coverage explains the current options. For free Medicare counseling in Texas, call HICAP at 800-252-9240.

How to find out which program and plan you're in

• Look at your health plan card. It shows the plan's name and the member services number. Your Your Texas Benefits Medicaid card stays the same when you change plans.
• Log in to YourTexasBenefits.com or the Your Texas Benefits app and open your Medicaid and CHIP services.
• Call the enrollment broker at 800-964-2777, or 2-1-1.

How to change your plan

Program	When you can change
STAR, STAR Kids, STAR+PLUS	Any time
CHIP	In the first 90 days, then only for certain reasons, such as moving
CHIP Perinatal	In the first 120 days, then only for certain reasons
STAR Health	There's one plan, so there's nothing to change to

Change by calling the enrollment broker, 800-964-2777, or at YourTexasBenefits.com. A change takes 15 to 45 days. Before you switch, check that your therapist, psychiatrist and any program you attend are in the new plan's network, and ask the new plan whether it needs new approvals for care you're getting now.

Why a provider asks "which plan?"

Most Texas Medicaid and CHIP care is run by private health plans. A therapist or program gets paid only by plans it has a contract with. So "we take Medicaid" may really mean "we take Superior and Molina, but not your plan." The plan also decides approvals, like prior authorization for IOP or PHP.

• Give both: your plan's name and member number, and your Medicaid ID from your Your Texas Benefits card.
• Ask: "Are you in network with my plan for mental health (or substance use) care, and are you taking new patients?"
• Can't find anyone? Call your plan's member services for help. If no one in the network can give a covered, medically necessary service, the plan must allow a referral to a Medicaid provider outside its network, requested by one of your plan's providers. If that doesn't work, call the HHS Ombudsman, 866-566-8989.

To search, use Cima Find Care's search by insurance or browse addiction treatment by insurance plan, such as programs that list Superior HealthPlan or Molina. City pages for Medicaid: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin. Listings come from public records and programs' own sites (how listings work), so always confirm with your plan. For deductibles, appeals and parity, read using your insurance for therapy in Texas, and for choosing a person, how to choose a therapist. More on our guides page.

Looking for drug or alcohol treatment? See does insurance cover rehab? and alcohol detox in Texas.

Questions people ask

Is STAR the same as Medicaid?

Yes. STAR is Texas Medicaid delivered through a health plan you choose. It's the program most children, pregnant women and parents on Medicaid are in.

What's the difference between STAR and CHIP?

STAR is Medicaid; CHIP is for children whose families earn too much for Medicaid. Both cover mental health and substance use care. CHIP can have a yearly enrollment fee and small copays; Medicaid generally doesn't charge you for covered services. HHSC decides which one your child gets from the same application.

What is STAR+PLUS?

Texas Medicaid for adults 21 and older with disabilities and adults 65 and older, many of whom also have Medicare. It combines health care with long-term services, like help at home, through a health plan.

What is STAR Kids?

Texas Medicaid for children and young adults 20 and younger with disabilities. It covers health care, behavioral health and long-term services, through a health plan.

My plan card says CHIP but my child was on Medicaid. What happened?

At renewal, if your family income rose above the Children's Medicaid limit, HHSC may have moved your child to CHIP. Check your notices in YourTexasBenefits.com, and ask your therapist whether they take your CHIP plan.

Sources

• Texas HHSC: STAR, STAR Kids, STAR Health and STAR+PLUS
• Texas HHSC: CHIP and Children's Medicaid and CHIP
• Texas HHSC: CHIP Perinatal FAQs and Medicaid for Pregnant Women and CHIP Perinatal
• Texas Works Handbook D-1820: CHIP enrollment fees, D-1810: General information and D-1740: Health plan change
• Texas HHSC Provider Finance: STAR Kids and STAR Health (long-term services and supports)
• Texas HHSC: Annual Review of STAR Health Services, 2026
• Texas HHSC: Questions about your benefits (traditional Medicaid)
• TMHP: Texas Medicaid Provider Procedures Manual, Medicaid Managed Care Handbook (fee-for-service groups, age-21 transitions, out-of-network referrals)
• Texas HHSC: Choosing a health plan, CHIP comparison charts and Managed care report cards
• Texas HHSC: Managed care service areas map
• Texas HHSC: Texas Medicaid and CHIP Reference Guide, 15th edition (covered behavioral health services, in-lieu-of services)
• TMHP: Behavioral Health and Case Management Services Handbook
• Texas HHSC: Uniform Managed Care Manual 16.3, In-Lieu-of Services
• Texas HHSC: STAR+PLUS Handbook, program overview
• Texas HHSC: Mental health and substance use disorder parity and Summary of Texas parity findings
• Healthy Texas Women: Who can apply?, Benefits and client fact sheet and HTW Plus fact sheet
• TMHP: Healthy Texas Women Program Handbook, February 2026
• Texas HHSC: Options for Medicare and Medicaid dual coverage and Dual Demonstration discontinued January 1, 2026
• Medicare.gov: Medicaid (who pays first)
• Texas HHSC: Medicare help (HICAP)
• Texas HHSC: Medicaid card questions and answers
• Texas HHS Office of the Ombudsman: Managed care help
• SAMHSA: National Helpline and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline