Help Your Patients Stay Covered

Date: April 30, 2024
 
Attention: All Providers

Call to action: Texas Children's Health Plan (TCHP) would like remind providers that Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has reverted back to a regular renewal cycle and patients will be required to renew every 12 months. HHSC notifies patients 90 days prior to the termination date. Once termed, they will need to reapply.

It’s imperative that your patients look out for this packet from HHSC and respond timely so that they don’t lose access to their plan and healthcare. Even if no information has changed, they will need to make a selection and submit their renewal packet to HHSC.

How can you help ensure your patients stay covered?

Your continued assistance is crucial to helping your patients maintain coverage so they can access health care. Please ask your patients to:

• Make sure their contact information is up-to-date with HHSC: Patients can visit YourTexasBenefits.com or call 2-1-1, option 2, to update their contact information.
• Submit a completed application before the due date: Patients should look out for their renewal notice from HHSC. It will come to their postal mail or if they have chosen electronic communications, in their email.

Patients can submit their renewal packet to HHSC in three different ways:

• Mail:
  • Texas Health and Human Services Commission
  • PO Box 149024
  • Austin, TX 78714-9968

• Online: Submit their application online at YourTexasBenefits.com
• Phone: Call HHSC at 2-1-1, option 2

Community in-person Application Assistance is available for your patients
For your patients who have TCHP coverage and are having difficulty completing the renewal process, our Application Assistance team can help. They are available at multiple locations across the Houston area and will guide families through the application process for Medicaid and CHIP. The most current locations and schedule are on our website at texaschildrenshealthplan.org/application-assistance.

Required documentation

Families should bring the following documents with them to the Application Assistance location:

• Child's Social Security Number (the actual card is not needed)
• Child's U.S. Birth Certificate or proof of legal residency status (parents and/or guardians do not need to prove their citizenship status for their child to get coverage)
• Family income within the last 30 days. Physical documentation is required to prove the family’s income. Acceptable documentation includes the following:
  • Letter from the employer, check Stubs, Most Recent Income Tax, W-2 Form, and Wage Forms (Self Employment H1049 or Employment Verification H1028).

Next steps for providers: Providers are encouraged to share this communication with their staff and their patients, our members.  

If you have any questions, please email Provider Relations atproviderrelations@texaschildrens.org.  For access to all Provider Alerts, log into: 
www.thecheckup.org or www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers.