What is the income limit to qualify for Medicaid in Texas?

Around five million Texans, or around eighteen percent of the state’s population, lack access to healthcare. Rates among children are also the highest in the US, with around one in ten children being uninsured. The lack of healthcare coverage, especially in the case of children, can lead to long-term health consequences that, in many cases, could have been avoided through routine medical checkups.

In 2010 the year the Affordable Care Act was passed, 23.3 percent of the state’s population —over one in five residents— was uninsured. Six years later, this number had dropped to 16.6 percent. In 2018, the ACA’s individual mandate, which allowed the federal government to penalize people insured people, was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Without an enforceable mandate, the number of insured residents began to rise once again. By 2019, 18.4 percent of residents were uninsured, and since then, rates have fallen. Still, data from the Consumer Price Index for Dallas and Houston show that many in the state are paying more for medical services than ever before.

Texans support Medicaid expansion

Texas is one of a handful of states that has not moved to expand Medicaid to all households under specified income levels. Voters in so-called “red states,” including Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, and South Dakota, have all voted to expand Medicaid. The approval of these ballot measures is evidence that expanding coverage to the economically vulnerable is a popular proposal among those that will receive coverage and those who consider healthcare a right and not a privilege for those who can afford it.

“Nearly seven out of every ten” voters in Texas surveyed by the Episcopal Health Foundation survey in 2020 said they believed the state should expand Medicaid to increase coverage for lower-income Texans. A year prior, that rate was lower at just over two-thirds. There are currently three bills floating around the capitol building in Austin that would make Texas the 41st state to expand Medicaid, a move that could reduce the number of people without insurance by 1.7 million. These recent surveys highlighting popular support were discussed by Fox 7 based in the state’s capital.

The legislative efforts to enact such a change failed in 2015, 2019, and 2021. Now, with recent surveys showing high public support for expansion, lawmakers could begin to change their tune.

What are the eligibility requirements for Medicaid in Texas?

According to Benefits.gov, in addition to meeting the income requirements, to receive Medicaid in Texas, one must be: