Texas Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Texas?

Texas climbed out of the bottom 10 states in 2009, earning the #39 slot in the ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Infectious disease – 44
• Children in poverty – 43
• Lack of health insurance – 50
• Public health funding – 43
• Immunization coverage – 17
• Primary care physicians – 42
• Poor mental health days – 19
• Geographic disparity – 41
• Cancer deaths – 16

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Texas.

Does Texas have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool
1-888-398-3927

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, Texas will offer health coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about Texas's participation, click here.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state to state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the pool to keep it in the black. In the best cases, they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Read more about risk pools here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Texas

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Texas and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Texas.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

Georgetown University's Guide to Health Insurance in Texas

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations help fund its research. Learn more about the Health Policy Institute.

Review Georgetown's guide for Texas.

USNews health insurance rankings for Texas

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Texas.

Official State Goverment Sites with Texas Health Insurance Information

Texas Department of Insurance -- the health care section of the Department's Web site, with consumer information and more.

Texas Children's Health Insurance Program -- state families with uninsured children may be eligible for health coverage through Medicaid and the Texas CHIP. Includes regular checkups and dental care.

Texas Medicaid Program -- the State and Federal cooperative venture that provides medical coverage to eligible needy persons.

Advocacy

Health Care for All Texas -- one out of four people in Texas is uninsured -- the worst in the nation. This group is promoting univeral health care for all Texans, and has a resolution for a ballot initiative on the 2008 Democratic primary in March.

Health Care Advocacy Groups in Texas

Health Care For All Texas – is a grassroots coalition that believes health care is a human right and that every person in the state of Texas deserves access to high-quality health care at an affordable cost.

San Antonio Healthcare-Now Coalition, – an affiliate of the national Healthcare-Now organization, works to achieve universal access to affordable healthcare.