Texas Medicaid redetermination
If you have Medicaid coverage in Texas, you probably know that your eligibility has to be redetermined every year. That requirement was paused for three years due to the COVID pandemic, but it resumed in the spring of 2023. Learn how to renew your Medicaid coverage and what you can do if you're no longer eligible for coverage.
Effects of Texas Medicaid redetermination
After Texas began redetermining Medicaid eligibility in 2023, about 2.5 million Texas residents were disenrolled from Medicaid during a year-long “unwinding” process. This was the highest disenrollment total in the nation, despite the fact that New York, California, and Florida, all had a larger total Medicaid population.1
Of the people who were disenrolled from Texas Medicaid during the “unwinding” of the pandemic-era continuous coverage rule, 68% were disenrolled for procedural reasons. This means the state didn’t have enough information to determine whether they were still eligible. The rate of procedural disenrollments in Texas was very similar to the national average.1
But Texas lagged far behind the national average in terms of ex parte (automatic) renewals: Only 11% of renewals in Texas were completed via the ex parte process, versus 61% nationwide.1
How to renew Medicaid in Texas and what to do if you’re no longer eligible
If you’re enrolled in Texas Medicaid, your eligibility has to be redetermined every 12 months. As noted above, Texas had a much lower automatic renewal rate during the post-pandemic “unwinding” process. This means Texas Medicaid enrollees are more likely than those in other states to have to complete paperwork to renew their coverage.
So be on the lookout for your renewal packet each year. Make sure Texas Medicaid has your current address and contact information. If you don’t receive the renewal packet and thus don’t complete it, your coverage will be terminated. And if you don’t complete the paperwork because you don’t understand it, your coverage will be terminated. (In both cases, this is referred to as a procedural termination, since the state doesn’t have enough information to know whether you’re still eligible.) As mentioned above, procedural terminations accounted for the majority of disenrollments from Texas Medicaid during the “unwinding” process.
So it’s important to make sure that you receive your annual renewal paperwork, and reach out to Texas Medicaid if you have any questions about completing it.
If you have any questions or are wondering “How do I check my Medicaid status in Texas?” you can call Texas HHS at 800-252-8263, 2-1-1, or 877-541-7905. Or visit YourTexasBenefits.com.
No longer eligible to renew Medicaid in Texas? You have options for health insurance in TX.
Get coverage through your job
Find out if you can get coverage through your employer, or the employer of your spouse or parent (if you’re under 26). There is a special enrollment window for employer-sponsored coverage if you lose your Medicaid coverage. That window typically lasts for 60 days for people who have lost Medicaid coverage.
Texas health insurance Marketplace
If you lose your Medicaid coverage, you will qualify for a special enrollment period. During this limited window of time, you can find replacement coverage on the ACA health insurance Marketplace.
Get financial help, if needed
If you can get health insurance coverage through your job but it is too expensive for you to afford, you may qualify for financial assistance. Use our Employer Health Plan Affordability Calculator to see your potential savings on an ACA Marketplace plan.
See if you qualify for Medicare
People over the age of 65 and some younger people who have permanent disabilities are eligible for Medicare. If you’ve become eligible for Medicare since 2020 but have not enrolled because you had Medicaid, you’ll have a special enrollment period to transition to Medicare when your Medicaid ends.
Frequently Asked Questions about Texas Medicaid redeterminations and renewals
Will my Texas Medicaid eligibility start to be checked twice a year in 2027?
Under H.R.1 (the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as the “Working Families Tax Cut” Legislation), Medicaid expansion enrollees will have their eligibility redetermined twice a year, starting in 2027.2
But Texas has not expanded Medicaid, so this provision doesn’t apply in Texas. Eligibility will continue to be checked once per year for Texas Medicaid enrollees.3
Why did I receive a yellow envelope that says “Action Required”?
If Texas Medicaid is able to automatically renew your coverage, they will do so.4
But if you need to complete a renewal packet to keep receiving Medicaid benefits, Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) will send you a renewal notice. The notice will come in a yellow envelope that says “Action Required.” You’ll have 30 days to complete and return the renewal paperwork.4
It’s important to update your contact information with HHS so you continue to receive important notices and updates.
You can also scan a QR code on the Texas HHS website that will allow you to update your information or renew your benefits online.
What should I do if I receive a request for information or a renewal packet from Texas Health and Human Services?
To verify your eligibility and keep receiving Medicaid benefits, you may need to give more information or complete a renewal packet.
If you’ve submitted your renewal but additional information is needed, Texas Health and Human Services will send you the H1020, Request for Information or Action form. If you receive this form, make sure you complete it and return it, as your renewal won’t be processed without the additional information they’re requesting.
How do I set up a Your Texas Benefits account to update contact information and renew Medicaid benefits?
You can respond to requests and update your contact information online through a Your Texas Benefits online account. Your Texas Benefits accounts allow you to manage your case and renew benefits for:
- Medicaid
- SNAP food benefits
- The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- TANF cash help for families
- WIC benefits for women and children
To set up an account, visit: YourTexasBenefits.com.
How can I check my Medicaid eligibility to keep receiving benefits in Texas?
Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) has an online tool to help you learn about your Medicaid eligibility.
How will I know if my Medicaid benefits have been renewed?
Once Texas HHS has reviewed your eligibility, you will be mailed a final determination notice. It will either say that your coverage has been renewed, or that you are no longer eligible.
If the notice tells you that you are no longer eligible, you can appeal the decision to try to keep receiving benefits. Instructions for the appeal will be included in the termination notice that you receive.
Footnotes
- “Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker” KFF.org. Mar. 2, 2026 ⤶ ⤶ ⤶
- “Implementation of “Eligibility Redeterminations,” Section 71107 of the “Working Families Tax Cut” Legislation (Public Law 119-21)” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Mar. 6, 2026 ⤶
- “Impact of Medicaid Cuts in H.R. 1 on Non-expansion States” The Center for Law and Social Policy. Dec. 2025 ⤶
- “B-8400, Procedures for Redetermining Eligibility” Texas Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed Mar. 25, 2026 ⤶ ⤶
