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Join Aetna Better Health® of Texas
If you qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), it’s time to start your application. You can begin at any time, and enrollment is open year-round. Visit Your Texas Benefits website to get started with your application today.
Getting started
Getting started
To get coverage from Aetna Better Health of Texas, you’ll need to apply for Your Texas Benefits. This is the Texas Medicaid and CHIP program, which covers these plan options:
- STAR: Medicaid for kids, newborns, pregnant women and some families
- STAR Kids: Medicaid for kids and adults ages 20 or younger who have disabilities
- CHIP: Insurance for families that earn too much money to use Medicaid, but can’t afford to buy private health insurance
- CHIP Perinatal: Insurance for mothers-to-be
What do I need to apply?
What do I need to apply?
The process takes about 30 minutes. Before you get started, it’s helpful to get all the information you need to apply:
- Social Security number and birth date
- Citizenship or immigration status
- Money from jobs and other sources
- The value of cars and other property
- Costs you pay for bills
Visit Your Texas Benefits
First, we’ll direct you to Your Texas Benefits, so you can get started on your application process. You can apply:
In person
You can go to your local Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) benefits office to get help with your application. Or call 211 to find an office. You can also visit a community partner near you.
By mail
You can apply by filling out a paper form and mailing it to:
HHSC
PO Box 149024
Austin, TX 78714-9968
By phone or fax
You can call 1-877-541-7905 or 211 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM CT. Or fax the paper form to 1-877-447-2839.
Online
Visit Your Texas Benefits website and choose “Apply for new benefits.”
Check your mail and choose your health plan
After you receive approval for yourself or your child, you’ll get an enrollment packet in the mail. The next step is choosing a health plan.
You’ll work with an enrollment broker to get started with your health plan. If you don’t choose a health plan, your broker will choose one for you. To join Aetna Better Health of Texas, call your broker:
- For Medicaid or CHIP: 1-800-964-2777 (TTY: 711)
- For STAR Kids: 1-877-782-6440 (TTY: 711)
You can call Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM. Leave a voice mail if you call after hours or on weekends. They’ll return your call the next business day.
Questions? We’re here to help. Just contact us.
Switch to Aetna Better Health
Medicaid and CHIP members can switch health plans at certain times:
- Medicaid members: at any time
- CHIP members: during the first 90 days of enrollment
- CHIP Perinatal members: during the first 120 days of enrollment
CHIP and CHIP Perinatal members can also switch plans for cause at any time, after moving to a different service area and during the annual CHIP re-enrollment period.
You can join Aetna Better Health of Texas if you live within our service areas. Find out if you qualify.
Any changes in plans take from 15 to 45 days. Here are a few ways to change your plan:
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By phone or fax
Your Texas Benefits:
- Phone: 1-877-541-7905 or 211 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM CT
- Fax: 1-877-447-2839
By mail
You can fill out a paper form and mail it to:
HHSC
PO Box 149024
Austin, TX 78714-9968