How to Choose a Medicaid Plan for Your Family

You applied for Texas Medicaid. Your application was approved.

And that’s great news! You are one step closer to better health for yourself and your family.

But there are a few more steps you need to take. We’ve listed them here to help you get started.

Open your information packet.

Check your mailbox. Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) will send you a packet of information.

Inside the packet, you’ll find out:

• if you are assigned to:
  • STAR (State of Texas Access Reform), a Medicaid program that provides health care insurance at no cost for low-income families
  • CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), for children 0-18 years in families with certain income ranges
  • CHIP Perinate, which helps pregnant women and their unborn children get the health care they need
• the date you can start using your STAR, CHIP, or CHIP Perinate insurance
• the health plans that serve your community

Choose the health plan that’s right for your family.

There are several different health plans for families with STAR, CHIP, or CHIP Perinate insurance.

Look inside the packet from Texas HHSC. You will see information about the health plans that serve your community.

Do you live in Dallas, Collin, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro or Rockwall County? If so, you will find Parkland Community Health Plan on the list.

You will need to choose one health plan. Don’t delay—if you do not choose a plan, Texas HHSC will choose one for you.

What makes the health plans different?

• The doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and other providers in the plans
• The quality rating on their score cards
• The “extras” they offer, also called value-added services

Compare the doctors and other providers on the health plans.

If you already have a doctor or pediatrician, are they in the plan? Are the doctors, hospitals, and clinics close to your home? Does the plan offer a 24-hour nurse line to answer your health questions over the phone? If you want a Spanish-speaking doctor, does the health plan list any?

Parkland Community Health Plan has more than 9,000 doctors and specialists in their network. Our physicians earn high ratings from members in our STAR and CHIP programs.