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The One, Big Bureaucratic Bill: Paperwork for All, Food for Fewer.

News is buzzing with details of the recently enacted H.R.1 (coined the “One, Big Beautiful Bill Act”) which will affect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid programs millions of Texans rely on. As these changes will operate within existing state policies and processes, we are tracking their projected impacts on Texans—from the $1.8 billion dollars in SNAP expenses per year that will fall to the state, to the hundreds of thousands of Texans who will lose some or all of their benefits.

SNAP is the country’s most efficient and effective anti-hunger program and is meant to serve people who, for one reason or another, do not earn sufficient income to meet basic needs.  The bulk of SNAP recipients are children, people with disabilities, and working adults.  SNAP also helps prevent hunger among veterans, unhoused people, and seniors by providing approximately $6 a day on a Lone Star Card for enrolled people.  

SNAP Before H.R.1 

Texas already has two types of mandatory work requirements, general and time-limited.  H.R.1 impacts the time-limited work requirements. 

Before H.R.1, the mandatory time-limited work requirement only applied to able-bodied adults without dependents. These requirements did not apply to households with dependent children 18 and under, seniors 55–64, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, former foster youth 18-24, and certain classes of immigrants with legal protections.   

There are limits to how long adults without a documented disability or dependents can receive SNAP benefits. Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDs) are limited to three months of benefits every three years unless they meet SNAP work requirements. While receiving SNAP benefits, ABAWDs must work with TWC to document that they work, train, or complete E&T programs for 80 hours per month. These time-limited work requirements are so cumbersome to meet, track, and report that most ABAWDs are unable or unwilling to meet the requirements. Therefore, in Texas, we only have about 136,000 people each year that TWC is federally mandated to assist in finding E&T slots and the agency struggles to meet that mandate due to a lack of available slots in which to place people. The number of ABAWD time-limited participants is about to balloon because H.R.1 eliminates many of the exempted populations. 

SNAP After H.R.1 

With the passage of H. R.1, lawmakers expanded work requirements so that caretakers of children 14–18, caretakers of dependents over 18 (think an aging parent above 54), unhoused people, and veterans must work or participate in a TWC-approved program at least 80 hours a month.  Moving forward, formerly exempt people will need to meet the same work requirements that prevent so many able-bodied adults without dependents from benefiting from SNAP for more than three months in three years. That policy shift is the result of H.R.1.  

The following table outlines the general provisions of H.R.1’s changes and their impact on Texas. This analysis concerns the third issue in the list below, SNAP Work Requirement Time Limits for Able-Bodied Adults, and some Texas-specific policies that will increase the number of people who lose SNAP because of the new law in Texas. 

Although we cannot change the federal funding cuts to SNAP that will remove SNAP benefits for so many, advocates can work with HHSC to remove some Texas-specific obstacles to SNAP enrollment. If successful, our advocacy can help tens of thousands of children and seniors keep their access to SNAP in the coming years.  

Texas SNAP enrollees face two unique challenges as H.R.1 takes effect: 

  1. HHSC’s Full Family Sanctions policy; and  
  2. Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) houses a backlog of SNAP work requirement cases requiring placements and follow-up. 

Both are beyond SNAP recipients’ control but will affect their household’s benefits. 

Full Family Sanctions 

‘Full family sanctions’ is a Texas HHSC policy that compounds the detrimental impact of the new law’s work requirements. The sanction occurs when the primary parent or caretaker in a SNAP household cannot meet the 80 hours of work per month HHSC requires to receive SNAP benefits. As a result of not meeting required hours, HHSC removes the entire household from the SNAP program for up to six months until the head of household can reapply and/or demonstrate they are actively meeting the work requirements. When implemented, these sanctions cause children and dependent seniors to lose their benefits, even though they themselves don’t have to meet the work requirements—only the head of the household does.   

The Sanctioning Process 

To enforce work requirements, Texas HHSC and TWC work with the USDA to prioritize monitoring SNAP recipients with mandatory time-limited requirements.  This means people who used to be exempt from the work requirements are now the most stringently monitored of all SNAP recipients. 

TWC monitors individuals’ work-related efforts and refers those who have not worked sufficient hours back to HHSC. HHSC sends a letter to SNAP recipients requiring them to demonstrate that they have ‘good cause’ to have not met their required work hours. The SNAP recipient must respond to the good cause letter in 10 days. Then, HHSC decides to either reinstate the SNAP recipient in the program, or they can keep the household off benefits and bar them from reapplying for up to six months. Recipients also need to keep a record of job-related activities to submit to TWC, who must process and verify this record. 

  • Example 1: Before the bill, a caretaker could drop in their working hours to care for their dependents without sanctions. With the new bill, caretakers cannot drop below the 80-hour requirement unless they get approved for a ‘good cause.’  If they cannot meet the ‘good cause’ exemption or are delayed in responding to the letter, then the full family sanction goes into effect. Because the caretaker couldn’t meet 80 hours of work that month, the household and any children are also removed from the program.  They can be reinstated after a month of meeting requirements.  

  • Example 2: While the example above is for caretakers, work requirements also expand to include veterans, seniors aged 55-64, people experiencing homelessness, foster youth who age out of the foster program, lawful immigrants, and asylum seekers or refugees.  This means a 62-year-old who started receiving SNAP when they were 60 will be removed from the program unless they join a job training program or get work. This is a challenging process in a state whose primary workforces are technology, government, healthcare, and education.  Professional jobs require staying current and maintaining certain certifications which also cost money to renew or begin.  Other meaningful jobs such as those in agriculture, restaurants, or retail industries require physical stamina that seniors (55-64) may not be able to perform. 

Importantly, benefits application assisters around Texas and SNAP enrollees on time-limited work requirements for ABAWDS should be familiar with good cause letters. Those letters can help people stay on SNAP now and once HHSC implements H.R.1’s newly expanded work requirements. Providing good cause documentation with SNAP applications now and moving forward will prevent HHSC from denying SNAP eligibility to individuals and families and reduce the time it takes for HHS to reinstate benefits. SNAP applicants, enrollees, and assisters can review the good cause exceptions for SNAP in the Texas Works Handbook policy A-1860. If the applicant meets any of the exceptions, they should proactively submit evidence with their application, mention it in their SNAP interview, and request a good cause letter to have on hand in case of an unexpected event. Most individuals should be able to meet the requirements of the letter. 

The Impact on Texans 

H.R.1’s requirements will affect more than 700,000 Texans, including veterans, aging seniors, and parents who depend on SNAP as an ongoing bolster to low paying jobs or their SSI and VA benefits, according to 2023 PUMS microdata analyzed by Every Texan. These populations need to prepare for losing SNAP eligibility after three months of not meeting the work requirements.   

Between H.R.1’s work requirements for formerly excluded populations (veterans, homeless people, etc.), Texas’ full family sanctions policy will increase the number of people whom HHSC removes from SNAP, and therefore children in those households as well (the most vulnerable population to the consequences of hunger.) Seniors and disabled people will also suffer under this policy. These sanctions put in jeopardy the 354,000 Texans who are exempt from work requirements. That’s more than 350,000 Texans who are disabled, elderly, or children who will be sanctioned from participating in SNAP if their head of household cannot meet the work requirements. 

These changes will also affect our state agencies. HHSC will need to revise computer systems and are expecting increased call volume. TWC will have to dramatically increase resources to meet needs, as their annual caseload expands from ~150,000 to ~700,000 Texans in need of assistance meeting work requirements. Workers from both agencies will see their workloads increase as they review tens of thousands more documents from the SNAP enrollees, who remain confused by reporting requirements and lose benefits for the entire family. 

There’s no getting around the paperwork of the matter for either side of the aisle. The federal changes coupled with state policies mean more paperwork for HHSC, TWC, and busy working adults with fewer resources available, despite studies demonstrating that work requirements do not lead to improved or increased employment for SNAP recipients.  

Furthermore, the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) repeatedly reports that Texas does not have enough E&T slots to meet the current needs of the state. If program participation balloons as a result of H.R.1, both agencies and working recipients are set for failure. The cost for TWC to assist one individual with finding and maintaining their E&T slot in 2025 is $1,367. They estimate the cost to serve the total current population (136,000) to be $187 million. Under the new mandatory work requirements, Texas will need to serve 738,000 households at an increased cost of $900 million.   

For the second richest state in the U.S., we have the most citizens living in food insecurity. There are already 1.8 million hungry children in Texas, and while the program’s new work requirements are federal law, Texas does not have to compound that with delayed paperwork or a lack of E&T openings. Bureaucratic impediments shouldn’t cause hunger.  

These are Texas’ choices to make. Let’s take the simple step of eliminating Texas HHSC’s full family sanctions and the pain they add to H.R.1. Removing this internal optional policy will ensure children and other dependents do not lose their access to food because of paperwork. We believe that considering the sweeping changes to SNAP and the governor’s veto of the Summer EBT program, this moment is the perfect opportunity for HHSC to rollback this policy in support of Texas children.

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Blog

Data Brief: 2025 Texas SNAP Recipient Profile

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) remains a cornerstone program to the food safety net millions of Texans rely on. In 2024, 3.47 million Texans (11.4% of the state population) relied on SNAP to help afford groceries. Even with this essential government program, food insecurity remains widespread in Texas; 17.6% of Texans and more than 22% of Texas children experienced food insecurity last year.  

This data dashboard offers a snapshot of SNAP usage across the state, breaking down participation by county and demographic characteristics. The data reveal a troubling gap between need and access to assistance, as food insecurity continues to rise while enrollment declines. These findings also counter harmful myths, showing that many SNAP recipients are people and families who are working, but just aren’t earning enough to meet basic needs. From low-wage jobs to inconsistent hours, employment alone is not always enough to guarantee food security. Households receiving SNAP have an average median income of $33,000, which is less than half of what the households not receiving benefits are making. This stark gap underscores the ongoing financial strain that makes nutrition assistance not a choice, but a necessity for millions of Texans. 

Understanding where SNAP is most heavily relied on helps shape more equitable policy and resource allocation. Explore the full dashboard to view regional trends, demographic data, and potential policy gaps that must be addressed to strengthen SNAP and ensure it serves every Texan.  

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Blog

Data Brief: Medicaid in Texas

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Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of Texas families by providing access to health care coverage for low-income pregnant women, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Federal and state lawmakers are attacking these benefits to make up for planned tax cuts for wealthy people and corporations. Click below to read our Data Brief exploring the current state of Medicaid in Texas and recent changes due to Medicaid “unwinding,” a cleaning-up of post-COVID-19 pandemic Medicaid rosters that cost millions of Texans their coverage since April 2023. We also share the most detailed view of unwinding data by county, including breakdowns by race, ethnicity, age, and type of coverage.

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Testimony

Testimony to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Against SB 379

View this testimony as a PDF.

Chair Kolkhorst, Vice Chair Perry, and esteemed committee members —

I appreciate the opportunity to testify today. My name is Amber O’Connor, and I work for Every Texan. We are against SB 379 because it creates barriers to food access by moving the onus of determining product eligibility to small businesses and increasing administrative oversight to an already overburdened HHSC. But, I want to call attention to how this bill will affect people.  Allow me to share two scenarios. 

First, the bill says you can buy certain items only if recommended by a health professional.  You’re a parent in West Texas. Your child has strep throat, the doctor recommended you use sweetened juice to hide the taste of antibiotics, so you drive 20 minutes to buy some.  You’re between pay days and need to purchase it on your SNAP card.  You can barely afford gas for this trip.  As you check out, the clerk at the counter says you can’t buy it.  You explain your doctor’s advice, but out of fear of sanctions, and because the clerk has no evidence of the doctor’s recommendation, they refuse.  The same holds true for candy for diabetic crashes, popsicles for tonsillectomies — how will the clerk know? 

Second, you received this month’s benefit and head to the only grocer who accepts SNAP on your bus route. As you check out, you are informed they no longer accept SNAP due to cost of updating the point of sale with each individual item that meets each of the new convoluted requirements. They stopped accepting SNAP because it cost the retailer too much to maintain the program.  HHSC will have to make the decisions about which items are SNAP eligible on an item-by-item basis and train and monitor the vendors instead of relying on federally provided training and technical support materials.  This ongoing bureaucratic burden is unsustainable. 

It also bears mentioning, this bill will do additional harm to people living in shelters or people experiencing homelessness, as they do not have access to kitchens or refrigeration. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify against SB 379. 

View this testimony as a PDF.

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Blog

Data Brief: Poverty In Texas

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Poverty affects the lives of countless Texas children and families, shaping their access to essential resources, opportunities, and long-term stability. Poverty intersects with education, health, and economic well-being, resulting in systemic barriers that are difficult to overcome. Understanding these disparities is essential to driving meaningful change and developing solutions that meet the unique needs of communities across the state. 

This Data Brief examines key data trends related to poverty in Texas while uncovering how they impact families’ ability to thrive. From widening gaps in educational access that limit future opportunities to struggles with housing instability, food insecurity, and inadequate health care, the data reveal the profound challenges many Texans face daily. Children in low-income households often experience barriers to early childhood education, which can have long-term effects on their academic success and career prospects. Likewise, families in rural and underserved areas may have to travel long distances to access basic health services, exacerbating existing health disparities. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted, equitable solutions that address not only the symptoms of poverty but also its root causes. 

To dive deeper into these findings, click here to explore the full storymap. This interactive tool provides a comprehensive look at poverty across Texas, offering regional and demographic breakdowns that reveal how different communities are affected. By visualizing the data, we can better understand the structural factors driving economic hardship and identify actionable steps to support struggling families. Whether through expanding social safety nets, investing in education, or improving access to health care, addressing poverty requires a coordinated, data-driven approach that prioritizes the well-being of all Texans. 

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Blog

Food Insecurity Is a Texas Crisis

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View as a PDF. 

Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you can feed your family. Geographical justice in food security means ensuring everyone, no matter their race, income, zip code, or any other factor, has access to nutritious food. Areas designated as Low-Income (LI), Low-Access (LA), or both (LI/LA) are often called food deserts — a term that highlights systemic barriers preventing communities from accessing affordable, healthy food.

  • LI = below 185% of the poverty line, at least 20% of the tract is LI, and average family income is at or below 80% of the state/metro area median income.

  • LA = at least 33% of the population live more than 1 mile from a grocery in urban areas and 10 miles from a grocery in rural areas.

Food insecurity is a Texas crisis.

  • Texas is #2 in the nation for the highest rate of hunger.
  • Texas is sprawling with poor public transit options.
  • Texas ranks #1 in USDA low-income, low-access food deserts.
  • Texas DSHS reports that in 2023, 7 in 10 adults in Texas are at risk diet-related health conditions.

These LI and LA tracts exist in both rural and city environments. It’s clear that low incomes occur regardless of urban or rural settings and that has root causes in Texas’ low wages compared to cost of living and systemic issues with race, class, and education that also need to be addressed. Texas has its vibrant sprawling cities, and it has massive tracts of rural land where people are working, playing, and providing food to those of us in the cities. 

If you can’t imagine low access to food in a city, consider:

  • You live in a historically impoverished neighborhood due to old policies such as redlining, or ongoing gentrification that has pushed low-income families out of thriving communities and further from the center of town where they could access public transit and convenient food stores.
  • You live in a city with poor public transportation and your transit doesn’t go past stores with fresh food.

Studies have shown that as neighborhood poverty increases, grocery stores become sparser, forcing low-income families to navigate limited food access on top of financial hardship.

Rural hunger is easier to picture in Texas. We know the long stretches from Caddo to El Paso and Lubbock to Padre. We’ve seen towns with little more than a gas station and a Waffle House. Now imagine living there — maybe you have a car, but the nearest grocery store that accepts SNAP is miles away. Delivery services? Either too expensive or nonexistent.

These challenges and more exist across our vast, diverse, and growing state. Texans take pride in our booming cities, but we also value our rural communities and the resources they provide. This legislative session, we have key opportunities to support both.

Take action

This session, you can support bills that address rural and redlined hunger and advocate for equitable food access across Texas.

  • HB 231 (Morales): Calls for research on USDA-designated low-income, low-access (LI/LA) areas to identify root causes and impacts on Texans.
  • HB 821 (Bernal): Expands access to nutritious food by funding the creation, maintenance, and expansion of grocery stores that accept EBT in LI/LA areas.
  • HB 434 (Lopez): Helps SNAP recipients over 65 and those with ADA-designated disabilities recover costs for grocery delivery.
  • Other bills: Stay engaged and support additional legislation that improves food access in Texas!

View as a PDF. 

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Blog

The Farm Bill Feeds Texans

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As Texas dives headlong into its 89th legislative session, all eyes are on the Capitol. However, we don’t want to lose the forest for the trees. Texas may have to set its budget before we know what happens in Washington, D.C. Many of the bills currently introduced in the Texas House and Senate are federally funded through the ‘farm bill’ (the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018). Without the farm bill, Texas cannot sufficiently fund school meals or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  

Texans must act now. This is a particularly challenging year, as the current provisions for reauthorization expired on Sept. 30, 2024. Republicans reportedly let it expire intentionally so that it could be reviewed under the new administration. The last time this budget changed was in 2018. 

What’s the Problem? 

The presidential election and congressional tactics at the federal level left the farm bill idling until now. We may need a temporary farm bill (by Dec. 20, 2024) to get us through until January’s budget reconciliation (the congressional process of approving the federal budget). This means that the Trump administration has an additional opportunity to cut spending on food and nutrition-based assistance, identified by his platform in both Project 25 and Agenda 47 as opportunities for spending cuts.  

Partisan politicians are using the urgent need to pass the bill to pit farmers against individuals receiving food and nutrition benefits. 80% of the current (2018) bill is earmarked for food and nutrition programs. Before the presidential election, Republicans indicated they would allow the benefits at current levels, but in turn would permanently remove the ability for any future president to increase the benefits. This is unacceptable. If funding for farmers can increase based on market forces, so can food and nutrition benefits. 

Is There a Solution? 

Currently, talks indicate that Congress will either pass a resolution to extend the current version of the bill for one year, through September 2025, or pass a new five-year farm bill by Dec. 20, 2024. A major point of contention is that Senate Republicans are pushing for around $10-15 billion in emergency aid to farmers – innocuous enough, except that they want to pull the money from the nutrition programs’ funding. In turn, Senate Democrats –namely Senator Debbie Stabenow – put forth a farm bill that suggested using money from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to fund the aid for farmers. Under the Democrats’ proposal, Texas would get the largest share of the payments and be able to feed its communities. Many viewed the Democrats’ proposal as a win-win, but conservative hold outs are standing firmly against, as Speaker Johnson maintains the GOP will not support IRA funding. Quoted in Dec. 14’s Hagstrom Report, Stabenow and Scott explained: “Republican leadership turned down this $10 billion proposal, rejecting needed economic assistance and increased conservation spending for decades. It is important to stress that this proposal is paid for and does not take any funding away from the critical natural disaster aid that has been requested.” Stabenow’s plan had funding for both farmers and SNAP, but because the GOP refused this compromise, we are at a stalemate with all farm bill-related funding ending on Dec. 20. It is pure partisan posturing that the bill cannot get passed. 

It is true that farmers are hurting and need financial support, especially as climate change continues to worsen. Farmers are key in supporting efforts toward food security, however support for them should not be contingent on other Texans going hungry.  

Why Should You Care? 

Our great state has higher food insecurity than the national average, yet both federal and state governments are poised to slash more funding. The 89th Legislature is considering spending cuts on school lunches, school breakfasts, and who and what SNAP will cover going forward. If a conservative federal government is signaling their support of these cuts, we know Texas will follow suit.  

In addition to potential federal and state cuts to food and nutrition programs, Texas chose to leave nearly $500 million in the hands of the federal government rather than use it to feed approximately 3.7 million kids this summer. Summer EBT funding is a permanent federal benefit, one that Texas chooses not to apply for. Refusing these funds further exacerbates food insecurity in Texas; if SNAP is cut at federal and local levels, our already overstretched food banks – who are also dependent on funds tied to the farm bill – will be used to fill in the gaps. Many Texas children will go hungry. Childhood hunger is shown to decrease academic success, mental health, and of course, physical health.  

What Can You Do? 

The farm bill will foreshadow what’s to come in Texas. If you have school-aged children or support health and well-being assistance for Texans, you should follow what happens to this and other key pieces of state legislation. We need federal funds and state support to continue growing our strong, healthy, and educated workforce.  

  • Call your representatives, senators, and the agricultural committee chairs and tell them that allowing Texans to go hungry is unacceptable. Look up your elected officials here. 

Upcoming legislation regarding Texans’ food and nutrition funded by the farm bill: 

  • HB 314 – A proposal to recertify SNAP benefits annually instead of biannually. 
  • HB 820 – An exemption from additional work requirement for students enrolled at least half time and working in federal/state work-study programs.  
  • HB 567 – Allows a grace period for students with insufficient balances on their meal cards and allows students the ability to donate their balances to other students. 
  • HB 434 – Allows SNAP to cover food delivery fees for qualified elderly and disabled recipients. 
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Blog

HealthCare.Gov Enrollment Period Is Now Open!

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All Texans are worth affordable, comprehensive health coverage, yet our state continues to lead the nation with the highest uninsured rate for both adults and children due to our state leaders’ faulty decision making. Health insurance is life-changing — helping Texans detect cancer sooner and address chronic health challenges before pregnancy. This open enrollment period is an opportunity for Texans to find and afford critical medications and services while avoiding crushing medical debt. 

The HealthCare.Gov Enrollment Period Is Now Open

It’s time to check out your options for health coverage through HealthCare.Gov! If you or your family need health insurance for 2025, sign up on HealthCare.Gov from Nov. 1, 2024 through Jan. 15, 2025. Enroll or change plans by Dec. 15 to have coverage begin on Jan. 1, 2025. 

A record 3.4 million Texans enrolled in a plan through HealthCare.Gov last open enrollment period. The number of Texans with health insurance through the Marketplace nearly doubled in the last two years. Perks like increased affordability and new financial help were main drivers behind the increase and will continue through 2025. 96% of Texas consumers got federal financial help to pay for coverage in plan year 2024, and we anticipate many Texans will pay $10 a month or less for coverage in 2025.

DACA ACA Eligibility Became Federal Law!

Earlier this year, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized a new rule that expands health coverage for Americans with “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival” (DACA) status by adding that immigration status to the “lawfully present” category. This means that, for the first time this year, DACA recipients will be able to use the ACA Marketplace and qualify for financial assistance to pay premiums to get coverage through the HealthCare.Gov Marketplace.  

This new policy goes live in November 2024, and Every Texan and enrollment assistance partners across the state are excited to support this new avenue for accessible health coverage. DACA recipients who would like to purchase a plan on the Marketplace will have a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that allows coverage to begin the month after enrollment. This SEP will last through January 2025 to ensure overlap with the national ACA Open Enrollment period.  

Who Can Get Covered Through HealthCare.Gov for 2025?

Even if you’ve checked options for you or your family before, it’s worth checking again! New rules and increased affordability may mean there are more appealing coverage options for your household. 

Coverage continues to be more affordable through 2025 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Many Texans can get comprehensive coverage with a $0 monthly premium and low or no deductibles, including:

  • Citizens earning between 100-150% of the federal poverty level (between $15,060 and $22,590 for an individual or between $31,200 and $46,800 for a family of four). 
  • Lawfully present immigrants, including many Legal Permanent Residents who are ineligible for Medicaid, are also eligible for these enhanced subsidies when earning below 150% of the federal poverty level ($22,590 for an individual or $46,800 for a family of four).

People earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level ($60,240 for individuals and $124,800 for families of four) can continue to get help paying for coverage, with premiums capped by a different federal policy at 8.5% of their income.

A new rule from 2023, the “Family Glitch Fix,” bases the “affordability” of a job-based insurance offer on the entire family, not just the employee. This opens up a new window of opportunity for family members to buy HealthCare.Gov insurance that is actually affordable. Families of low-paid workers, small business employees, workers in the service industry, and children under 18 are expected to benefit the most.

People who have recently experienced a life change, including losing Medicaid or CHIP coverage, may still be able to buy a Marketplace plan. 

Free Enrollment Assistance Help Is Available. 

There are a few ways to look at options and fill out an application for coverage outlined on HealthCare.Gov. Many Texans, including citizens and lawfully present immigrants, will have options to consider when shopping for health coverage. The process can be confusing and even overwhelming, but trustworthy help is available. 

Community organizations across Texas are standing by to offer free, expert help with the sign-up process. These organizations do not get paid by health plans for referrals; they exist to connect Texas families to health coverage. 

The Get Covered Connector lets you search for Texas enrollment assistance providers’ locations by zip code. Across Texas, community members can make an appointment to get help filling out applications, enrolling, and getting connected to a year-round health coverage support system.

North Texas:

West and South Texas:

  • 67 Counties along the US/Mexico Border: MHP Salud (833.337.2583)

East Texas:

  • Harris and Surrounding Counties: Civic Heart (713.374.1282)
  • Harris and Surrounding Counties: Houston Food Bank (832.369.9390)
  • Harris and Surrounding Counties (specializing in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and communities speaking Asian languages): Light and Salt Association (713.988.4724)

Central Texas:

When searching for enrollment support or looking for information, keep in mind: 

  1. People should not have to pay for help enrolling in Medicaid, CHIP, or Marketplace health coverage. 
  2. The Marketplace, assister organizations, and your state will never threaten you or ask for credit card information or payment to qualify you for health coverage.
  3. No assister, health insurance agent, or health insurance broker should enroll you in a plan or change your plan without your consent. 

To find enrollment help near you, call the Navigator program numbers listed above in your area. If you run into any hurdles or have any feedback or questions, reach out to Every Texan’s Health and Food Justice Programs Manager Lynn Cowles at 512.522.3220 or cowles@everytexan.org.

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Press Mentions

Lynn Cowles in The Texas Tribune: Texas’ order to ask hospital patients’ citizenship status renews focus on the state’s large uninsured population

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Every Texan’s Health and Food Justice Programs Manager Lynn Cowles spoke to The Texas Tribune about Gov. Abbott’s Executive Order GA-46, which requires the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to direct public hospitals to collect demographic information on patients that will enable hospital staff to determine how many inpatient and emergency care patients at the hospital are undocumented. The processes outlined in the Executive Order begin Nov. 1, 2024, also the date DACA recipients around the U.S. will first be able to enroll in Marketplace health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
 
Read an excerpt below:
 
But there are doubts as to whether Texas will be able to come up with a solid cost figure without a lot of caveats to understand.
 
Data has shown for years that undocumented immigrants who lack access to health insurance plans, Medicaid included, typically use hospitals less than American citizens who are uninsured – Texas hospitals spend $3.1 billion a year on uninsured care that is not reimbursed, according to THA. Even emergency Medicaid spending, which by design, covers undocumented immigrants’ hospital costs in limited circumstances, has gone down in the last five years. And efforts by Florida to answer the same undocumented patient care question have fallen short.
 
“This executive order is intended to scare people into not using any kind of public benefits program,” said Lynn Cowles, health and food justice programs manager at Every Texan, which advocates for better health care in Texas. “It’s pretty classic anti-immigrant rhetoric that will not lead to any new understandings from data collected by (Texas) Health and Human Services.”
 
 
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Blog

Data Brief: Celebrating LGBTQ Texans

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Did you know the state of Texas has more queer people than the state of New York? 

Over 2 million Texans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, making them the second-highest LGBT-identifying population in any state (next only to California). Queer populations are also often undercounted, so this number is likely even higher. Texas is a big state, and we have more than enough room to accommodate all the identities in our community. However, we have a long way to go before state policy equitably reflects the needs of queer Texans.  

Texans of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and incomes believe in the freedom to thrive, to be ourselves, and to have a say in the decisions that impact our lives. To be successful, however, we need resources we can rely on. We celebrate the diversity of queer Texans while recognizing the urgent need to remove and prevent harmful policies. According to a survey by the Trevor Project, 90% of LGBTQ young people aged 13-24 say that recent politics have negatively impacted their well-being, and 45% of transgender and nonbinary youth report that they or their family have considered moving to a different state because of anti-LGBTQ politics and laws.   

Our state is home to an estimated:  

  • 92,900 transgender adult Texans (Williams Institute)
  • 735,000 gay or lesbian adult Texans  (Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey Cycle 4)
  • 1,267,000 bisexual adult Texans (Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey Cycle 4)

This means that at least one in every 11 Texas adults identify as LGBTQ. Another estimated 100,000+ youth (aged 13-17) identify as LGBTQ, with roughly one-third (29,800) identifying as transgender.  

Today, Texas state leaders who are aligned with the wealthy few have abandoned everyday Texans. By shaming and fueling hatred toward Texas’ queer community, they deny us the freedom to thrive. Queer Texans have the same aspirations as others in our state – to live long, happy, and healthy lives. However, economic security and health indicators indicate that LGBTQ Texans are more likely to struggle for a myriad of reasons. Past and present anti-LGBTQ politics and laws drive discrimination against LGBTQ Texans, preventing them from thriving in our communities. The Movement Advancement Project tracks state-level laws related to outcomes for queer residents, and Texas ranks at the bottom. Unfortunately, we are not alone; 29% of America’s LGBTQ population live in states where laws affect them negatively – many of whom live in the South. 

Tracking LGBTQ+ data is essential to understand and address the unique challenges this population faces. Accurate data collection reveals disparities in health, housing, economic security, and safety, which in turn helps policymakers create informed and inclusive policies. The U.S. Census Bureau is enhancing its data collection efforts through the Household Pulse Survey and others to incorporate Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) questions, as outlined in the Census Bureau’s SOGI Data Action Plan. 

At Every Texan, we believe social justice requires robust public policy. Our mission is to strengthen public policy to expand opportunity and equity for all Texans. Comprehensive and accurate data informs our research, policy recommendations, and education of policymakers and stakeholders. 

Queer Texans live across the state, not just in our major metropolitan areas. We must do more to protect their rights and livelihoods. Explore this data story to learn more about what data is available about LGBTQ+ Texans, and what disparities still exist.