SAN ANGELO, Texas — Healthy Texas Women’s Medicaid is not a new program, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more women may have just become eligible to this resource they didn’t know about.
The program is designed for U.S. women ages 18-44 who live in Texas, are not pregnant, meet the income requirements and do not have insurance.
Dana Bell, Shannon Medical Center practice manager for OB/GYN and nephrology, said she sees women join the Healthy Texas Women’s program all the time, a process that hasn’t been delayed by the pandemic.
Once accepted, women can receive birth control, yearly checkups, STI testing and treatment, permanent sterilization through tubal ligation, and basic health tests such as mammograms and pap smears all at no cost to the patient.
If a woman is pregnant or becomes pregnant while in the Healthy Texas Women’s benefits plan, she may be eligible instead for the pregnancy Medicaid program, which will cover all prenatal doctor’s visits and delivery. However, pregnancy Medicaid only covers a woman eight weeks after she gives birth. Texas recently made a change where those women can now join Healthy Texas Women and receive care for a full year after delivery. This will help her receive birth control and treatment for any postpartum depression she may experience.
Another change the Healthy Texas Women’s program has made is an expansion to its coverage to include COVID-19 testing. Women who have enrolled for its benefits can now receive answers for free if they and their doctor believe they may have become infected.
To apply for the benefits, go to healthytexaswomen.org or yourtexasbenefits.com to find the full application and areas to upload documents.
Bell said if anyone has any questions or concerns about the Healthy Texas Women’s program, they can call Shannon’s business office and someone there will assist them through it.
