Can Women Who Have Medicaid For Pregnant Women Transition To Healthy Texas Women To Avoid A Gap In Coverage
Yes. At the end of a woman’s Medicaid for Pregnant Women coverage, she will be automatically enrolled in Healthy Texas Women. The woman will get a notification letter in the mail about her auto-enrollment into Healthy Texas Women and she will have the option to opt out of the program. To be auto-enrolled, a woman must:
- Be 1844 years of age
- Not be receiving active third-party resources at the time of auto-enrollment
- Be unable to get any other Medicaid or CHIP programs
If a woman cannot be auto-enrolled in Healthy Texas Women, she can apply for the program in the last month she is eligible for pregnancy coverage. If she meets the eligibility criteria, her Healthy Texas Women coverage will begin the first day of the month following the end of her Medicaid or CHIP Perinatal coverage.
Our Obgyn Clinics Are 100% Devoted To Your Health And Wellness
Womens Health Texas is a large group of doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Each of our OBGYN clinics works together to bring you the best womens healthcare. With convenient locations, its never been easier to find the perfect provider for you.
Our services encompass the entire range of womens healthcare needs, allowing WHTX to offer care for every age and stage. We have experienced obstetricians to guide you through your first pregnancy. Our team also includes knowledgeable gynecologists to help you with everything from adolescent gynecology to menopause management. Regardless of where you are on your journey, our OBGYN group has a caring and experienced doctor to assist you.
Does Enrollment In Healthy Texas Women Affect Other Texas Health And Human Services Benefits
A woman’s enrollment in Healthy Texas Women does not make a household ineligible for other program benefits such as Medicaid, TANF or SNAP. But the information reported when applying for Healthy Texas Women might affect the household’s other benefits if it’s different than what was previously reported for other programs.
Recommended Reading: Fertility Doctor That Takes Medicaid
Services Covered By Medicaid And Chip Perinatal
Both programs cover services like:
- Prenatal doctor visits.
- Labor and delivery.
- Checkups and other benefits for the baby after leaving the hospital.
These services are provided by health plans. If you get Medicaid or CHIP Perinatal, you will choose a health plan from the ones available in your service area.
Its Easy To Dismiss Black Womens Lives: Texas Drags Feet On Maternal Mortality Crisis
As state legislature falls short on Medicaid expansion, campaigners vow to keep addressing healthcare disparities
When medical staff prepped Shawn Thierry for an emergency C-section, she knew something was very wrong. After an epidural, excruciating pain ran through her legs. Soon, she could barely breathe.
I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest and that I might die, she said.
She screamed for her doctor to put her under anesthesia which happened to be the solution. The epidural, Thierry later found out, was given too high in her spine, causing a paralysis that inched toward her heart.
I was an attorney who had full private healthcare coverage and I almost died, said Thierry, of the birth of her daughter in 2012. I cannot imagine what the outcome would be for the thousands of other African American women without health insurance.
Years later, as a member of the Texas House, Thierry was stunned to learn of the states maternal mortality crisis.
The US has the highest maternal death rate among similarly developed countries and is the only industrialized nation where such deaths are rising. But according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Texas the maternal mortality rate is above the US average, at 18.5 deaths per 100,000 live births.
I was shocked that black mothers like myself are three times more likely to die than our white counterparts
You May Like: How To Qualify For Medicaid In Nevada
How Can I Afford Prenatal Care
Prenatal care is too important to neglect. However, some mothers fear that the healthcare costs associated with pregnancy will be too high.
Luckily, there are ways to bring healthcare costs down. Many adoption agencies and charities provide financial assistance to pregnant women in need. But there are also larger programs that can help. Medicaid is a government healthcare program that provides coverage to millions of Americans, including pregnant women with limited resources.
According to recent data, Medicaid currently finances about 42% of all births in the United States. In other words, Medicaid plays an important role in the pregnancy journey of women across the country. This means that many OB-GYNs accept pregnancy Medicaid. If youre stressed and anxious about paying medical bills during pregnancy, take a deep breath, and browse the list below.
Quality Journalism Doesn’t Come Free
Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn’t cheap. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Do you value our journalism? Show us with your support.
Recommended Reading: Nursing Homes In Maryland That Accept Medicaid
Get Support And Care During Your Pregnancy
In each of the cities listed above, there is a Texas Adoption Center location to help you. At Texas Adoption Center, we care for each birth mother and support her needs and her decisions each step of the way. If you are facing unplanned pregnancy expenses, youre not alone. We can connect you with resources and assist with a range of expenses, including medical and living costs.
Womens Health Waiver Application
Texas Health and Human Services applied to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a new waiver under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act for a program to be called the Healthy Texas Women Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver. The proposed effective date is Sept. 1, 2018, for a five-year period ending Aug. 31, 2023.
HHS launched the Healthy Texas Women program July 1, 2016. The program provides women’s health and family planning services at no cost to eligible, low-income Texas women. Through the demonstration waiver, HHS seeks to increase access to and participation in the program. This waiver will not change the current Healthy Texas Women client or provider experience.
Recommended Reading: Who Qualifies For Medicaid In North Carolina
Women Are Obviously Choosing A Life
In an ideological quest to punish abortion affiliates, Republicans have the Texas reproductive health safety net by blocking low-income Medicaid patients from receiving life-saving preventative care at Planned Parenthood, a move resulting in reduced access to contraception and increased rates of Medicaid births, according to the Texas Policy Evaluation Project.
How The Healthy Texas Women Program Is Failing Women In Texas
Texas has some of the worst health statistics, especially for women.
According to research compiled by United Health Foundation, Texas ranks 48th in womens health, 49th in women with dedicated healthcare providers, and 50th in womens health policies. Approximately 30% of women ages 18-44 lack health insurance, and of the women who have public health insurance, such as Medicaid and Medicare, only 16% of them felt their needs were met.
Pretty terrible, right? But what does the Healthy Texas Women program have to do with this?
Healthy Texas Women is the Medicaid program offered by the Texas government to individuals with an income of less than $302 per month. The program formed in 2013 after the Texas legislature combined the Texas Womens Health Program and Expanded Primary Health Care for Women Program to better streamline health care services for more women. This was after the state gutted the Medicaid program in 2011, taking away two-thirds of the states family planning budget and terminating state contracts with Planned Parenthood.
Unintended pregnancies seemed to increase under this program, directly contradicting one of its main goals. Under the Healthy Texas Women program, there was a 35% decrease in the women getting IUDs and other long-acting contraceptives, which is cited as one of the most effective types of birth control. Injectable contraceptive admission decreased by 31% and Medicaid-paid births rose by 27%.
A coincidence? I think not.
Also Check: Have Medicaid Moving To Another State
When Does Coverage Start
The enrollment effective date is the first day of the month that Texas Health and Human Services receives the application. For example, if we receive a woman’s application on Jan. 20 and she is determined eligible for the program, her coverage begins Jan. 1. Call 866-993-9972 if you have questions about the enrollment effective date or think there might be an error.
Changes In The Senate
While presenting the Senate version of House Bill 133 to her colleagues in the upper chamber, state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, defended the shortened extension.
The media has portrayed our version of this, as cutting it from 12 to six, said Kolkhorst, who also sponsored the bill. I want to make sure that we clarify that we are adding four months, and we will become one of the first states in the nation to extend it beyond two months.
Aside from extended postpartum care, provisions the Senate added to HB 133 include transitioning case management services for children and pregnant women on Medicaid and in the Healthy Texas Women program to managed care. The state plans to move away from a fee-for-service model to contracting with managed care organizations that work with a certain network of providers.
Ramirez said that could mean better service for women experiencing postpartum issues, but the real impact of the change remains to be seen. Thats especially true for traditional family planning providers that may not have much experience working with managed care organizations.
Adriana Kohler, a policy director with the childrens policy nonprofit Texans Care for Children, said that although HB 133 is set to go into effect on Sept. 1, it could still take a while to see the actual benefits play out because it will take time for state and federal officials to secure funding.
You May Like: Medicaid Dentist Panama City Fl
Hhscs Healthy Texas Women Program Launches Enhanced Postpartum Care Services
AUSTIN The Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced today the launch of an enhanced postpartum care services package for eligible women enrolled in Healthy Texas Women, called HTW Plus. Beginning September 1, approximately 90,000 Healthy Texas Women clients will automatically receive this new postpartum care coverage for up to 12 months.
Routine and timely postpartum care is critical in improving the overall health of mothers and babies in Texas, said Michelle Alletto, Texas HHS chief program and services officer. Improving and enhancing these services further ensures continuity of care to women at all stages of life.
In addition to the array of core womens health and family planning services offered by the Healthy Texas Women program, HTW Plus provides physical health, mental health, and substance use disorder services that address asthma, diabetes, hypertension, certain cardiovascular conditions, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders including postpartum depression, and substance use disorders including drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.
Covered services include:
While all women in Healthy Texas Women have access to screening, diagnosis, and medication to treat postpartum depression, women with HTW Plus coverage will also be able to receive outpatient individual, family, and group psychotherapy services, as well as peer specialist services.
About Healthy Texas Women
The Healthy Texas Women program provides family planning services and other womens health services that contribute to preconception care and better birth outcomes. The program provides a wide variety of womens health and core family planning services, including contraception, cancer screenings and pregnancy testing. In Fiscal Year 2019, about 279,000 women on average each month were enrolled in the Healthy Texas Women program.
Read Also: Medicare And Medicaid Act Of 1965
Healthy Texas Women Provider Resources
The Healthy Texas Women program offers women’s health and family planning services at no cost to eligible, low-income women. These services help women plan their families, whether it is to achieve, postpone or prevent pregnancy. They also can have a positive effect on future pregnancy planning and general health.
Providers participating in the Healthy Texas Women program can access information regarding policies, billing forms and more online at:
How Do I Make Referrals To Other Providers And Programs
Primary care referrals
If a woman covered by Healthy Texas Women does not want to pay out-of-pocket for services not covered by the program, providers must refer the woman to another physician or clinic. Providers should make referrals when health issues are identified and necessary services related to those health issues are not covered under the program.Texas Health and Human Services prefers referrals to local indigent care services, but 2-1-1 can assist with locating other primary care providers, if needed.
Breast and cervical cancer screening
The Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program offers breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services and cervical dysplasia treatment throughout Texas for free or at low cost to eligible women.
Also Check: Is Wisdom Teeth Removal Covered By Medicaid
How Often Do Women Need To Reapply For The Program
- Women have continuous coverage for 12 months. Texas Health and Human Services sends a renewal packet two months before coverage ends. Women must mail back the renewal forms by the deadline shown in the renewal letter. Clients that miss the deadline will need to reapply for coverage.
- Renewal packets include a postage-paid return envelope. If the envelope is lost, clients can mail their renewals to: Texas Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 149021, Austin, TX 78714-9021.
- Clients can call 866-993-9972 if they lose the renewal packet and need a replacement.
- Texas Health and Human Services does not accept renewals by fax.
How Can I Book An Appointment Online With A Healthy Texas Women Ob
Zocdoc is a free online service that helps patients find Healthy Texas Women OB-GYNs and book appointments instantly. You can search for Healthy Texas Women OB-GYNs by symptom or visit reason. Then, choose your location. Based on that information, youll see a list of providers who meet your search criteria, along with their available appointment slots.
Read Also: Does Nevada Medicaid Cover Breast Pumps
Do All Women Have To Prove Income Eligibility
No. If a woman or one of her family members receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, SNAP food benefits, the Women, Infants and Children Program or Children’s Medicaid, she has already proven income eligibility for Healthy Texas Women. She does not have to fill out the income section of the Healthy Texas Women application. This is sometimes called “adjunctive eligibility.” Women can give proof of participation in one of these programs as proof of income eligibility.Any of the following documents serve as proof of participation:
- Active WIC Verification of Certification
- Active WIC voucher
- Active WIC/ Electronic Benefit Transfer shopping card
A woman can also prove income eligibility if someone in her household, such as a child, has Medicaid. Providers can check Medicaid eligibility using TexMedConnect on the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership website. Look for the “Go to TexMedConnect” button on the upper right corner of the screen.
How Does Texas Health And Human Services Protect A Woman’s Confidentiality
The application allows women to list a separate mailing address where all correspondence can be sent. The woman must list her home street address on the application but she can list a P.O. box as a mailing address.If the woman has private health insurance coverage, providers do not bill the private insurance first because this could risk her confidentiality.
Recommended Reading: What Age To Apply For Medicaid
How Can I Make A Same
On average, patients who use Zocdoc can search for an OB-GYN who takes Healthy Texas Women insurance, book an appointment, and see the OB-GYN within 24 hours. Same-day appointments are often available, you can search for real-time availability of OB-GYNs who accept Healthy Texas Women insurance and make an appointment online.
What If A Client Needs To Report A Change To Her Case
Report changes on Form H1019, Report of Change. The form is available in English and Spanish.
- Clients do not have to submit a copy of their Social Security cards, and the card cannot be used as proof of citizenship or identity.
- If the woman changed her name legally but did not report the change to the Social Security Administration, she can visit the Social Security Administration website to find out how to change or correct the name on her card.
Read Also: Medicaid Eligibility For Nursing Home Care
Mail Or Fax Your Application
You can , fill it out by hand, and mail it or fax it to us at:
Healthy Texas WomenAustin, TX 78714-9021Fax 1-866-993-9971
After we receive your form, well send you a letter if we need additional information. You must provide the additional information by the deadline on the letter. Examples of proof are listed below.
Can Pregnant Women Enroll
No. Providers can refer pregnant women to Texas Health and Human Services to determine their eligibility for Medicaid for Pregnant Women or CHIP Perinatal coverage. If a woman becomes pregnant while she is covered by Healthy Texas Women, she may apply for Medicaid for Pregnant Women or CHIP Perinatal. Once enrolled in one of those two programs, she will be automatically removed from Healthy Texas Women.
You May Like: Free Breast Pump Through Medicaid Texas
