General Guidelines for Low-Income or Uninsured Texans Seeking Cancer Care
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Updated June 2023
Although procedures may vary between counties, here are some guidelines that may assist you in locating cancer care.
To Find a Primary Care Clinic
To find out if there is a Primary Care clinic in your area where you might be able to receive cancer screening, please go to the following website of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and select Texas, then your city, and click on Find Health Centers:
https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/
For Women
Breast and Cervical Cancer Services
Women who want to get checked for
cervical cancer or breast cancer may be able to get help through a special program called
Breast and Cervical Cancer Services (BCCS).
The Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program services include:
- Screening services
- Clinical breast examination
- Mammogram
- Pelvic examination and Pap test
- Diagnostic services
- Cervical dysplasia management and treatment
- Help applying for Medicaid for Breast and Cervical Cancer
You may receive these benefits if you:
- Are a woman age 18 or older.
- Live in Texas.
- Do not have health insurance or are underinsured.
- Don't have health insurance.
- Meet income requirements (200% Federal Poverty Level)
If you have been diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer and don't have health insurance that will pay for your treatment, you may be eligible to receive full Medicaid benefits
by applying for Medicaid for Breast and Cervical Cancer. Contact a Breast and Cervical Cancer Services clinic to see if you qualify for this Medicaid program.
For more information, visit
https://www.healthytexaswomen.org/healthcare-programs/breast-cervical-cancer-services or call
2-1-1.
Healthy Texas Women
Healthy Texas Women is a program dedicated to offering women's health and family planning at no cost to eligible women in Texas.
Healthy Texas Women provides a wide variety of women's health and core family planning services, including pelvic examinations, breast and cervical cancer screenings, clinical breast examination, mammograms, and other services. The program pays only for specific services. If a health problem such as cancer is found, you will be referred to a doctor or clinic that can treat you. You can receive these benefits if you:
- Are a woman between the ages of 18 to 44 years old. (Women are considered 18 years of age on the day of her 18th birthday and 44 years of age through the last day of the month of her 45th birthday.)
- Are a woman between the ages of 15 to 17 years old and have a parent or legal guardian apply, renew, and report changes to your case on your behalf. (Women are considered 15 years of age the first day of the month of her 15th birthday and 17 years of age through the day before her 18th birthday.)
- Are a U.S. citizen or a qualified immigrant.
- Are a resident of Texas.
- Don't have health insurance.
- Are not pregnant.
- Meet the income requirements - maximum monthly family income 204.2% Federal Poverty Level. (See website for details.)
For more information, visit the website at
https://www.healthytexaswomen.org/healthcare-programs/healthy-texas-women/htw-who-can-apply or call
2-1-1. Pick a language and then press 2. If you can't connect to 2-1-1, call 1-877-541-7905 (toll-free).
Cancer Centers
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has named four cancer centers in Texas as leaders in cancer research. Two centers are in Houston, one is in Dallas and one is in San Antonio. These centers focus on finding new treatments for cancer through clinical trial testing. To find out more, please visit the websites or call the numbers below:
The Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
(713) 798-2262
https://www.bcm.edu/academic-centers/dan-l-duncan-comprehensive-cancer-center
Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center
214-645-8300 or 817-882-2700
https://utswmed.org/cancer/
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
1-877-MDA-6789 (1-877-632-6789)
https://www.mdanderson.org/about-md-anderson/contact-us.html
UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center
1-800-340-2872 or 210-450-1000
https://cancer.uthscsa.edu/
The following University of Texas state hospitals may offer financial assistance programs for low income, uninsured Texas residents. Please call to find out if you qualify:
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Financial Counseling Office: (409) 772-6464.
https://www.utmbhealth.com/support-pages/insurance-billing
Other hospitals and physicians in your area may also treat low-income or uninsured patients. You would need to contact them directly for more information. Please visit the Texas Cancer Information Hospitals page at
https://www.texascancer.info/prevscrntreat/hospitals.html
to search
for a hospital in your area that does cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment or continuing care.
For U.S. Military Veterans
If you are a veteran, you may be able to be seen at a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic. To find out more about veterans' benefits, go to
https://www.va.gov/health-care/. For more information, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at the number below:
Health Benefits Hotline: 1-877-222-VETS(8387)
211
You may be able to find local facilities in or around your county that may possibly be able to screen or treat a low-income or uninsured cancer patient. If you are looking for help or information on services or programs in your area, please dial 2-1-1 or click on the link https://www.211texas.org/ and type in cancer detection in the enter search term box and the zip code where you live in the enter zip code box.
Legal Aid Organizations
The following not-for-profit legal aid organizations offer professional legal help for elderly and/or low income patients who cannot access health care because
they have been denied Medicare, Medicaid or health care benefits by a county agency or a hospital district. Please visit the websites or call the
numbers below for more information:
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
https://www.lanwt.org
1-888-529-5277
(Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas is a nonprofit organization that provides free civil legal services to low income residents in 114 Texas counties throughout North and West Texas, with offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Brownwood, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Lubbock, McKinney, Midland, Odessa, Plainview, San Angelo, Waxahachie, Weatherford, and Wichita Falls.)
Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
https://www.trla.org/
1-888-988-9996
(TRLA provides legal services to people in 68 counties. Use the map on the website to find out if your legal problem is in the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid (TRLA) service area.)
Lone Star Legal Aide
http://www.lonestarlegal.org
1-800-733-8394
(Lone Star Legal Aid's mission is to protect and advance the civil legal rights of the millions of Texans living in poverty in its 76 county service area by providing free advocacy, legal representation, and community education that ensures equal access to justice.)
Other Resources
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