Access to health coverage is essential for Texas children to ensure they receive regular medical care, early interventions for disabilities or developmental delays, and support for mental health challenges, all of which contribute to better overall health outcomes. Unfortunately, Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the nation. For U.S. citizen children who do not receive insurance through their parents’ employers, Medicaid is often the only affordable option. Nearly half of the state’s uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but are not enrolled. This means the Legislature has a significant opportunity to improve children’s health coverage by ensuring that eligible children can access these programs. Barriers such as an inefficient enrollment system, lack of information for parents, and difficulties navigating the enrollment process prevent many families from obtaining this critical coverage.
This policy brief outlines the state’s current landscape of children’s health coverage and provides recommendations for the Texas Legislature:
1) Invest in technology and bring the state’s IT system into the 21st century rather than relying so much on paperwork.
2) Empower families by informing them about their children’s eligibility for health insurance.
3) Reduce gaps in health coverage for kids during critical years in their development.
Read the full policy brief:
