An official State of Texas website.
Revision 25-1; Effective Jan. 28, 2025
Statute
The Primary Health Care Services Act, House Bill 1844, is the statutory authority for Primary Health Care (PHC) Services Program administered by HHSC. The Act delineates the specific target population, eligibility, reporting, and coordination requirements for PHC.
Rules
The state rules for PHC services in Texas are in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 26, Part 1, Chapter 364, Subchapter A. PHC program rules require that, at a minimum, a grantee must provide the following six priority PHC services:
- Diagnosis and treatment
- Emergency medical services
- Family planning services
- Preventive health services
- Health education
- Laboratory, x-ray, nuclear medicine or other appropriate diagnostic services
PHC provides services through contracted providers (grantees) for people who are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and are unable to access the same care through other funding sources or programs. Grantees must ensure that services provided to clients are accessible in terms of cost, scheduling, and distance, and are provided in a way that is sensitive to the person’s culture.
Funding Sources
PHC program services are funded by state general revenue. HHSC PHC funds are allocated through a competitive application process, and then selected applicants negotiate contracts with HHSC to provide services. A variety of types of organizations provide PHC program services, such as local health departments, medical schools, hospitals, private nonprofit agencies, community-based clinics, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics. Providers must enroll with the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) to provide the HHSC PHC program services. State and federal law prohibits the use of contracted funds awarded by HHSC to pay the direct or indirect costs of abortion procedures. This includes overhead, rent, phones and utilities.