Texas Benefit

Texas Medicaid

Also known as: Star Health, Star+Plus

Texas Medicaid provides health coverage to eligible low-income residents. Texas has not expanded Medicaid under the ACA, so eligibility is limited to specific categories: children, pregnant women, parents with very low income, elderly, and disabled.

At a Glance

  • Children ages 6-18 qualify with household income up to 144%FPL. Children under 6 qualify up to 19...
  • Pregnant women qualify with income up to 198% FPL.
  • Parents and caretaker relatives qualify only with extremelylow income (approximately 15% FPL). Te...
  • Must be a Texas resident.
  • + 2 more requirements below

Eligibility Requirements

Income Limit (Children)

Required

Children ages 6-18 qualify with household income up to 144%FPL. Children under 6 qualify up to 198% FPL.

household_income_fpl 144 percent

All of:

  • AND age < 19

Income Limit (Pregnant Women)

Required

Pregnant women qualify with income up to 198% FPL.

household_income_fpl 198 percent

All of:

  • AND is_pregnant = true

Income Limit (Parents/Caretakers)

Required

Parents and caretaker relatives qualify only with extremelylow income (approximately 15% FPL). Texas has not expandedMedicaid; childless adults generally do not qualify.

household_income_fpl 15 percent

Texas Residency

Required

Must be a Texas resident.

state_residency = TX

Citizenship/Immigration

Required

Must be a U.S. citizen or qualified immigrant. Qualifiedimmigrants generally subject to a 5-year waiting period(exceptions for children, pregnant women, refugees, asylees).

citizenship_status in [us_citizen, permanent_resident, refugee, asylee]

No Childless Adult Coverage

Texas has not expanded Medicaid. Childless adults do notqualify regardless of income, unless they are elderly (65+)or have a qualifying disability.

is_childless_adult = true

Ruleset effective: 2024-01-01

View as JSON
{"service_id":"texas-medicaid","effective_date":"2024-01-01","rules":[{"id":"income-children","key":"household_income_fpl","operator":"less_than_or_equal","value":144,"unit":"percent","requirement":"required","label":"Income Limit (Children)","description":"Children ages 6-18 qualify with household income up to 144%\nFPL. Children under 6 qualify up to 198% FPL.\n","source_url":"https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/medicaid-chip-programs","conditions":[{"id":"is-child","key":"age","operator":"less_than","value":19}]},{"id":"income-pregnant","key":"household_income_fpl","operator":"less_than_or_equal","value":198,"unit":"percent","requirement":"required","label":"Income Limit (Pregnant Women)","description":"Pregnant women qualify with income up to 198% FPL.","source_url":"https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/medicaid-chip-programs","conditions":[{"id":"is-pregnant","key":"is_pregnant","operator":"equals","value":true}]},{"id":"income-parents","key":"household_income_fpl","operator":"less_than_or_equal","value":15,"unit":"percent","requirement":"required","label":"Income Limit (Parents/Caretakers)","description":"Parents and caretaker relatives qualify only with extremely\nlow income (approximately 15% FPL). Texas has not expanded\nMedicaid; childless adults generally do not qualify.\n","source_url":"https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/medicaid-chip-programs"},{"id":"residency","key":"state_residency","operator":"equals","value":"TX","requirement":"required","label":"Texas Residency","description":"Must be a Texas resident."},{"id":"citizenship","key":"citizenship_status","operator":"in","values":["us_citizen","permanent_resident","refugee","asylee"],"requirement":"required","label":"Citizenship/Immigration","description":"Must be a U.S. citizen or qualified immigrant. Qualified\nimmigrants generally subject to a 5-year waiting period\n(exceptions for children, pregnant women, refugees, asylees).\n","source_url":"https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip"},{"id":"no-childless-adults","key":"is_childless_adult","operator":"equals","value":true,"requirement":"disqualifying","label":"No Childless Adult Coverage","description":"Texas has not expanded Medicaid. Childless adults do not\nqualify regardless of income, unless they are elderly (65+)\nor have a qualifying disability.\n"}]}

Quick Info

Agency
HHSC
Category
Healthcare
Last Verified
2026-03-16

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