In this article, you will learn more about options for help with answers to your questions.
Part of this article is excerpted or compiled from Insurance for Texans with Disabilities by the Texas Department of Insurance; links throughout.
Insurance companies may not consider your gender and cannot deny you or charge more because of a preexisting health condition or disability.
For more information, see Insurance for Texans with Disabilities by the Texas Department of Insurance.
Life, auto, and home insurance companies cannot refuse to sell you a policy or charge you more because of a disability, unless they can show that the disability increases the chances that you will have a claim.
If a company will not sell you a policy, cancels, or refuses to renew your policy, ask why. Most auto and home insurance companies must tell you the reason in writing.
To learn more about filing a complaint, visit the website of the Texas Department of Insurance at Get help with an insurance complaint or call 800-252-3439.
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides additional protections. For more information, visit the ADA Technical Assistance Center website or call 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).
If you get health insurance through your employer, learn more about filing an ADA complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission’s Civil Rights Division. For more call 888-452-4778.
Texas Legal Services Center's Legal Hotline for Texans can answer questions and help you find free and low-cost legal aid. You can call the Legal Hotline for Texans at 800-622-2520.
For more information about appealing a decision, filing complaints, and external reviews, visit the Texas Department of Insurance website at itsGet help with an insurance complaint page. Or call them at 800-252-3439.
Most people have health care coverage through their job or a government health plan, such as Medicare, Medicaid, or a veterans’ health program.
If you cannot get health insurance at work or through a government program, you may buy it from an insurance company. Depending on your household income, you may even qualify for a subsidy to help with your premiums and lower your costs through the federal insurance marketplace.
For more information about insurance companies, visit the website of the Texas Department of Insurance.
To learn more about the federal insurance marketplace, visit Healthcare.gov or its Coverage options for people with disabilities page, or call 800-318-2596.
Most health plans must include benefits for mental health and substance use disorder services. To learn more, visit How to get help with a mental health issue.
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, or people with end-stage renal disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant). If you qualify for Medicare, you have options about how you get coverage and will need to decide what works best for you.
For more information, visit Insurance for Texans with disabilities and Medicare.gov or call 800-633-4227.
Medicare Supplement insurance may pay for some of the health care costs Medicare does not pay. If you choose to buy a Medicare supplement policy, you can buy it from an insurance company licensed by TDI, but Medicare Supplement benefits are set by the federal government.
For more information about Medicare Supplement insurance, eligibility, the requirements of Texas law, and when to buy, visit:
Medicare Advantage Plans are a type of Medicare health plan offered by some insurance companies. These plans help control costs by using provider networks. Out-of-pocket costs might be less, but your choice of doctors could be limited.
For more information on eligibility and when to buy, visit:
Medicaid is a state and federal health insurance program for some qualified people with lower incomes. If you do not qualify for Medicaid, the Medicaid Buy-in Program may allow qualified Texans with disabilities to get Medicaid, even if they earn more than the Medicaid income limits.
For more information about Medicaid for people with disabilities, visit: