STAR Health – Foster Care Medicaid Health Plan

Making Important Strides in Improving Medical Care for Texas Foster Care Children

In April 2008, Texas became the first state in the nation to establish a Medicaid managed care program specifically for children in foster care: the STAR Health program. STAR Health addresses a number of challenges that existed under the old fee-for-service system (FFS). Chief among them has been the assurance of immediate coverage for a child who is removed from his/her home, eliminating the delays and red tape of eligibility verification that were common under FFS. At the same time, caregivers can now contact Superior, the health plan that handles STAR Health, directly to access any service they need, when they need it. Unlike constraints under FFS, providers now have the ability to make direct referrals to specialists when appropriate. This ensures that each child is receiving more seamless, timely and tailored care.

Today, Texas is a national leader in the use of managed care to increase access to care, manage costs, and improve the quality of health care in its Medicaid and CHIP programs, and STAR Health is no exception.

STAR Health Resources:

STAR Health Managed Care Model

A resource guide that provides an overview of the STAR Health program and how it ensures more timely, tailored, and responsive care for Texas children in foster care.

April 2016

Through improved care management and coordination, along with increased accountability, STAR Health has improved access to care, outcomes, and quality of care for children in the state’s foster care system. Under STAR Health, the State pays a per-member, per-month fixed payment to Superior, a Texas-based health plan, to manage all of the health care needs of Texas foster children.

STAR Health Food for Thought Presentation

Superior HealthPlan presentation to Capitol staffers at TAHP’s Food for Thought interim lunch series.

April 2016

Since 2008, Superior HealthPlan has been the statewide, single managed care organization (MCO) focusing on the approximately 30,000 Texas children in Foster Care each month.