An Introduction to Children's Medicaid

Children’s Medicaid is a free public health insurance program for children in low-income families.

In order to qualify, one must be:

• Age 18 or under
• A Texas resident
• A U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident
• Live in a family that earns an income of 100% of the Federal Poverty Line or less
• For example, a family of three is eligible to apply for Children’s Medicaid if it earns an annual income of $18,530 or less

The vast majority of Medicaid beneficiaries in Texas are children. Here is a breakdown of the percentage of total Medicaid recipients in 2009, by age:

• 0-5:      35%
• 6-14:    30%
• 15-20:    5%
• 21-64:  17%
• 65+:       6%

It is clear, from these statistics, that Medicaid covers a significant amount of low-income children in the state of Texas. As of October 2010, 2.3 million children were enrolled in the program…and the numbers continue to steadily increase each month.

            As for coverage, “children…are eligible to receive a broader array of health care services than commercial health insurance policies or Medicaid services for adults typically offer. Medicaid for children provides certain health care services including long-term physical, occupational, and speech therapies, and comprehensive dental services.” Click here to see a full list of benefits offered to children through the Medicaid program.

            As our legislators debate whether or not to cut funds from the state’s Medicaid and CHIP programs, we hope they will consider this statement, from the Texas CHIP Coalition:

“Medicaid and CHIP bring billions of federal matching dollars to Texas that support the direct provision of health care services and help to sustain local economies. Across-the-board reductions in these safety net programs would directly diminish the well-being of Texas families and the Texas economy.”

We’ll leave you with a couple more sobering facts about the importance of the Medicaid program for children in the state of Texas:

• More than half of all Texas births are paid for by Children’s Medicaid. 
• Medicaid “is the only source of coverage for children with serious disabilities.” (Source: The Center for Public Policy Priorities)