2Care for Kids

Dorinda Bates
Program Director

This program offers outreach and informing for several programs including children’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), food stamps, the Women’s Health Program, CHIP Perinatal and Long-Term Care.  Though we do not determine eligibility for any of these programs, we do offer assistance with the application process as well as information about the programs themselves.

 Children’s Medicaid offers full medical care for children eligible for the program including doctor’s visits, dental, vision, prescriptions and hospitalization.  Family size, income and resources determine eligibility for this program and there is no cost to parents for those children who are eligible.

 The CHIP program offers medical coverage for those uninsured Texas children who do not qualify for Medicaid, up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.  Children qualifying for this program must be uninsured for a minimum of 90 days and must meet the same eligibility requirements as those children on Medicaid.  The CHIP program covers doctor’s visits, dental, vision, prescriptions and hospitalization for those children who are eligible for the program.  There can be a monthly premium for this program and there is a co-pay for services.

 TANF provides a one-time only cash payment or a monthly payment to families having a dire financial need to enable them to provide essential needs for their family.

 The Food Stamp program provides families who meet eligibility criteria with a card that can be used to buy groceries for the family.  The amount of benefits on the card, which is issued monthly, is determined by family size, income, resources, etc.

 The Women’s Health Program provides uninsured women who are able to bear children with gynecological exams, related health screenings, and birth control through Texas Medicaid.  The program is for Texas women ages 18-44 who meet income requirements and are U.S. citizens or qualified immigrants.

 The CHIP perinatal program provides care for unborn babies when the mother does not qualify for Medicaid for Pregnant Women because of income or immigration status. This special coverage through CHIP comes with no fees or co-payments. The program is available for moms who meet certain income requirements and is designed with the baby in mind.  It provides up to 20 prenatal visits, prescriptions and prenatal vitamins, and with delivery of the child, two checkups for the mother after the birth of the baby as well as regular checkups, immunizations, prescriptions and other CHIP/Children’s Medicaid health care benefits for the baby after leaving the hospital.

 We assist senior citizens in completing the application for Long Term Care.  We also provide resource information at various Senior Citizen Centers in our coverage area.