Texas Health Steps
Texas Health Steps
Texas Health Steps (THSteps) are free medical and dental checkups. Checkups are a chance for a doctor or dentist to check your child's growth and to find problems that you may not see. Your child may look and feel healthy but still have a health problem. THSteps are for babies, children, teens and young adults ages 20 and younger in Medicaid.
Checkups check your health
They include unlimited prescriptions (must be medically necessary), vaccines (shots), screenings (tests and lab work) and treatment when needed.
Call your child's doctor and set up a visit. At each checkup the doctor checks your child's growth, health and immunizations. This is also your time to ask questions and learn more about nutrition and safety. Remember, regular checkups keep your child healthy!
Texas Health Steps checkups
A checkup will be needed at:
- Birth
- 3-5 days
- 2 weeks
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 12 months
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 24 months
- 30 months
- 3 years
- 4 years
- 5 years
- 6 years
- 7 years
- 8 years
- 9 years
- 10 years
- 11 years
- 12 years
- 13 years
- 14 years
- 15 years
- 16 years
- 17 years
- 18 years
- 19 years
- 20 years
Babies and toddlers will need more than one THSteps checkup to protect them from illness. See above.
Rewards for checkups
Schedule the checkup on your child's birthday or right after. FirstCare offers rewards for timely checkups. To be timely, the checkup must be on the member's birthday or within 60 days after the member's birthday.
Why does my child need a Texas Health Steps checkup?
"My child has already had his/her vaccines."
Immunizations are only part of a THSteps checkup; they are to help your child fight disease. Your doctor also needs to check to be sure your child is growing healthy and well.
What happens at a checkup?
Checkups are an important part of staying healthy. They are to find illnesses at an early stage and to prevent an illness from happening. If anything is found that requires treatment, it is best to take care of it early. If something is left untreated it might get worse.
What to expect
- Check height and weight to measure growth
- Check the lungs (listens and counts number of breaths per minute)
- Check for a healthy heart (listens and counts heart beat)
- Check skin (sores, moles, and birthmarks)
- Check hearing, vision, and teeth
- Check social and emotional behavior (habits, fears, tantrums...)
At a checkup the doctor will ask you important questions about your child's language, learning, play and safety. This helps you and your doctor know that your child is developing normally for their age. This is also the best time as a parent to ask questions about your child's health or behavior.
For more details, call THSteps toll-free at 877-847-8377 or visit the txhealthsteps.com.