I am currently on Colorado Medicaid, pregnant, moving to Texas…

Q) I am currently on Colorado Medicaid. I am 13 weeks pregnant and my husband and I are moving to Texas. I understand the transfer process. I was just curious if there was a timeline of residency before I could apply for Tx Medicaid. I am trying to get everything figured out as soon as possible so I can get in with a dr here in Abilene before the pregnancy gets any further along to where a doctor won’t accept me as a patient. Thank you

A) Congratulations on your pregnancy!

According to the Texas Health and Human Services (HHS), you can apply for Medicaid in Texas as soon as you have a Texas address. You do not need to be a resident of Texas for a certain amount of time before you can apply.

To apply for Medicaid in Texas, you can do so online, by phone, or in person at a local HHS office. You will need to provide the HHS representative with proof of your income, residency, and pregnancy. You can provide proof of your income with a tax return, pay stub, or letter from your employer. You can provide proof of your residency with a utility bill, bank statement, or lease agreement. You can provide proof of your pregnancy with a doctor’s letter or a positive pregnancy test.

The HHS representative will review your application and determine if you are eligible for Medicaid in Texas. If you are eligible, the HHS representative will enroll you in Medicaid and provide you with a card that you can use to receive medical care.

Here are some additional tips for applying for Medicaid in Texas:

• Be sure to apply for Medicaid as soon as you know you are moving to Texas. This will help ensure that you have continuous coverage.
• If you are moving to Texas within 30 days, you can apply for Medicaid in Colorado and then transfer your coverage to Texas once you have moved.
• If you are moving to Texas more than 30 days in advance, you will need to apply for Medicaid in Texas.
• If you have any questions about applying for Medicaid in Texas, you can contact the Texas HHS at 1-800-252-8911.

It would appear that from the notes on Texas Medicaid Hand book that once you have been denied coverage (at the end of your coverage month) from your loosing state you are eligible for coverage in Texas on the “date the applicant became a Texas resident.”

“If the losing state … then …
Step 1 denied the recipient’s Medicaid the last day of the month the recipient moved from the state or later, go to Step 2.
denied the recipient’s Medicaid the day the recipient moved from the state, assign a MED = date the applicant became a Texas resident.” http://www.dads.state.tx.us/handbooks/TexasWorks/A/800/800.htm