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| Vol. 24, No. 14 |
| August 1, 2002 |
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"Brush-Up" on Back-To-School Insurance, Health History Options by MELISSA FOUTS Texas Children's Hospital Back-to-school time usually means two things for children’s health – yearly well-child visits and immunizations. For some children, however, these important doctor visits may not happen because of a family’s inability to pay or a lack of health insurance. Texas Children’s Health Plan Inc. provides low-cost health coverage options for children throughout the Houston area. Plan Children’s Health Coverage Texas Children’s Health Plan offers access to comprehensive, high-quality health care for families of almost all economic levels. The health plan, the first licensed health maintenance organization in the United States designed only for children, offers three medical coverage options: Texas Children’s Individual Medical Coverage Texas Children’s Individual Medical Coverage is an affordable, comprehensive program with a large provider network. The plan covers children in a 12-county region from 32 days old to age 19. The plan is not offered through the family’s employers – as long as the children live in the plan’s service area, they remain covered even if their parents change employers. This service area includes Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Waller and Wharton counties. Children’s Health Insurance Program This state medical coverage plan is for families who are overqualified for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. The program’s service area comprises 10 counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Waller and Wharton. The Children’s Health Insurance Plan serves children from birth to age 19. Eligible children are those whose families meet the program’s financial guidelines, are not eligible for Medicaid and do not have private health insurance. Families pay a monthly premium of no more than $18. Medicaid Texas Children’s Health Plan participates in Medicaid as a secondary health maintenance organization for children. The plan administers the pediatric medical portion of Medicaid for HMOBlue. A parent who wishes Texas Children’s to manage a child’s Medicaid coverage would choose HMOBlue – not Texas Children’s – and choose a primary care physician in the Texas Children’s network. To learn more about medical coverage for children, call Texas Children’s Health Plan Member Services at (832) 824-2600 or 1-800-990-8247. Keep Track of Health History Texas Children’s Hospital offers a free, informative booklet to help parents keep track of their children’s immunization history. The Texas Children’s Hospital Shot Pocket, a pocket-sized immunization record, can be taken to doctor appointments, school registration and other places where immunization data is needed. "The Shot Pocket is a portable, easy-to-maintain document for parents to use to better record a child’s immunization history," said Julie Boom, M.D., director of Texas Children’s Immunization Project and assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. "The system helps ensure all children are properly immunized." Immunizations protect children against a variety of potentially dangerous diseases, including diphtheria, hepatitis, Hib (a major cause of bacterial meningitis), measles, German measles, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), pneumococcal disease, polio, tetanus and varicella (chicken pox). Immunization records usually are kept at the office of the pediatrician or primary-care provider, and parents often don’t have their own copies. The Shot Pocket provides space for following information for each child:
Call (832) 824-2112 or join Texas Children’s Online Parents’ Connection at www.texaschildrenshospital.org to request a free Shot Pocket. The Parents’ Connection offers access to children’s health and safety information from Texas Children’s staff and Baylor College of Medicine physicians.
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E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
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