Parkland Insurance: Dallas Health Coverage For The Uninsured
In this guide, I will show you how to apply for a Dallas Texas health care plan called Parkland Plus.
There is a great need for patient care in the area because nearly 25% of Dallas County residents are uninsured. If you are in this population, you may not know how to find a primary care physician to provide medical treatment, but in this guide, I will show you.
I’m Nick Bryant and I have worked in community health for 11 plus years connecting uninsured clients to community resources like Parkland Health.
After reading this guide you will know exactly how to become one of the many Parkland patients who receive care through this North Texas healthcare provider.
Keep reading!
What is Parkland Plus?
Parkland Financial Assistance is a health insurance plan that covers low-income residents in Dallas. The official name is Parkland Financial Assistance, although locals commonly refer to it as simply Parkland Plus.
Editor’s note: If you are familiar with Houston’s Harris Health System or “Gold Card” Parkland Plus is the Dallas version. It’s essentially a safety net health insurance program that covers individuals who are homeless, unemployed, or don’t qualify for Medicaid.
Parkland Hospital
If you are wondering, Parkland Plus is affiliated with Parkland Hospital.
It serves as the main hospital of the Parkland Healthcare System and is considered to be the county’s public hospital.
Parkland is located within the Southwestern Medical District of Dallas.
The north Texas hospital has qualified staff members like doctors, nurses, dentists, surgeons, and specialists who offer affordable healthcare to low income residents of Dallas.
The hospital offers a wide variety of outpatient and emergency room services and is home to more than two hundred acute care rooms. It caters to all ages and all walks of life including uninsured or underinsured individuals.
Those who cannot afford medical coverage can apply for Parkland Plus to receive financial assistance with medical services.
Who is eligible for Parkland Financial Assistance?
To qualify for Dallas Parkland Plus you must meet the following criteria:
- Live in Dallas County
- Your income must fall below 250% of the Federal Poverty Income Level.
Editor’s note: If you live in Fort Worth you cannot qualify for the Parkland Financial Assistance Program due to being outside of Dallas County. Fort Worth has a similar type of healthcare organization called the JPS Health Network that treats low income residents in Tarrant County.
Your Federal Poverty Income level is determined during eligibility, but the figures below will provide you with a general idea of who may qualify.
- 1 person – $12,490
- 2 people – $16,910
- 3 people – $21,330
- 4 people – $25,750
- 5 people – $30,170
- 6 people – $34,590
- 7 people – $39, 010
- 8 people – $43,430
Health Care Services That Parkland Plus Insurance Covers
Parkland Financial Assistance offers the following healthcare services to its patients:
- Access to medical care/primary care doctors
- Wellness exams
- Prenatal care for pregnant women
- Mammograms
- Hospitalizations
- Prostate screening
- Geriatric care
- Medicine management
- Pharmacy services
- 24 – hour nurse helpline
As you can see there are a number of medical services offer via Parkland insurance.
3 Ways To Apply For Dallas Parkland Financial Assistance?
No matter which way you choose to apply you will have to complete a Parkland Plus Insurance application.
The application requests information like demographics, family size, household income, assets, and employment verification. Below is an example of the application.
In addition to completing the actual application, you must submit documents like your ID, birth certificates of children, mail to verify that you live in Dallas, and proof of income.
Once you complete the Parkland Plus application and gather all the necessary documents you have 3 ways to apply.
1. By Mail
Mail all your documents to:
Patient Financial Services – 5200 Harry Vine Blvd. Dallas, TX 75235
2. By Email
Send your documents to PFAapp@phhs.org
3. Visit a Parkland Clinic
You can visit any of the Parkland clinics below Monday through Friday from 8 am to 2 pm to deliver your application and supporting documents.
Parkland Health Clinics
Below you will find a listing of the 9 Parkland Plan clinics in the Dallas area.
- Bluitt-Flowers Health Center – 303 E. Overton Rd, Dallas, TX 75211
- deHaro Saldivar Health Center – 1400 N. Westmoreland Rd, Dallas, TX 75211
- E. Carlyle Smith Jr. Health Center at Grand Prairie – 801 Conover Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75051
- Hatcher Station Health Center – 4600 Scyene Rd, Dallas, TX 75210
- Irving Health Center – 1800 N.Britain Rd, Irving, TX 75061
- Garland Health Center – 802 Hopkins, Garland, TX 75040
- Southeast Dallas Health Center – 9202 Elam Rd, Dallas, TX 75217
- Vickery Health Center – 8224 Park Lane Suite, 130, Dallas, TX 75231
- Parkland Business Office – 5201 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75235
Call 214.590.4900 for any questions about these health centers.
How Do You Renew Your Parkland Plus Insurance?
You must renew your Parkland Financial Assistance insurance 30 days before your plan expires. If you miss this window you will have 6 months to complete the process or you will have to start a whole new application.
To reapply you must:
- Complete a renewal application.
- Sign and date the application
- Submit the completed application plus your proof of income for the past 30 days to Parkland Health Plan via mail, email, or clinic.
Parkland COVID 19 Testing In Dallas
Parkland offers COVID 19 testing to its patients who are referred by their doctor.
To schedule a COVID 19 test in Dallas you can call the Parkland COVID 19 Patient Line at 214.590.8060.
There are currently 10 Dallas County COVID 19 testing sites that are operating throughout the pandemic. You can find all 10 locations by visiting the Parkland COVID 19 Testing Information page.
Parkland COVID-19 Vaccines
Parkland is not offering the vaccine to the public at this point, however, they are working with Dallas County Health and Human Services on future plans to distribute the vaccine to the public.
In the meantime, you can visit the Dallas County Health and Human Services website to register for the COVID 19 vaccination in Dallas.
Conclusion
Parkland Plus is a safety net program for the indigent population of Dallas. This includes people who are homeless, unemployed, do not qualify for Medicaid, or recently moved to Dallas.
No matter your income level, Parkland can help you with a whole range of medical services at a cost you can afford.
If you have questions about Dallas Parkland Plus insurance plan be sure to call them at 214.590.4900.
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Nick Bryant is the author of Understanding Healthcare Is Half The Battle and a Senior Counselor with 13+ years of experience working in community health and mental health. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching WWE on Friday nights, and working toward a Google Data Analytics certification. If you have additional questions about community resources or government assistance programs, simply leave a comment below and he will follow up as soon as possible.
thank you Nick…
Can you apply if your income in below the $12,490 for one person.
I receive Social Security and live with my brother who is receiving SSI and is on Medicare…
Hi Charlotte, hope all is well!
According to Parkland Plus they will approve you for coverage if your household income is under 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. If your brother makes roughly the same and the household income is about $25,000 a year that should come in under the 250% Federal Poverty Level.
Try this Federal Poverty Level calculator and plug in your household income to see exactly where you are on the income scale.
Lastly, the best way to determine if you would be covered is to call Parkland directly, that way you can know for sure so you don’t waste any energy if you cannot qualify. Their main number is 214-590-8831.
I hope that helps, God bless!
Nick
Can I apply I am 60, unemployed and live with my daughter and family. I receive SNAP for myself. Would it go by my daughter’s income or would I be considered my own household?
Hi Josie, it should be based on your income. Contact Parkland at the number above to double check that though.
A friend who needs to apply. She lives in Plano, which is outside of Dallas county. She is needinh medical care. Plano does not anything like the Parkland plan. If she applied will she be considered? Does she need to wait to move within Dallas county?
Thank you
Hello Maria, if Plano is Collin County then this is the equivalent of Parkland.
Collin County Indigent Health Office
825 N. McDonald Street, Suite 110
McKinney, Texas 75069
972-548-4702 (McKinney)
https://www.collincountytx.gov/healthcare_services/Pages/indigent.aspx
Another option is the Collin County Adult Clinic which is a federally funded clinic, meaning no insurance is needed to go here:
http://www.collincountyadultclinic.org/
Regarding your question about if she can be seen at Parkland, while having an address in a different county, she probably can be seen BUT they may not provide the discounted care that local residents in Dallas County would get from Parkland. Until she moves into Dallas County try contacting the first two options above, I think thats the best course of action for her right now.
My mom lives in Plano and will get a Marketplace insurance i.e ACA Molina. Can she use the Parkland Hospital services with her Molina insurance coverage?
Hi Ash, I did a quick check on the Parkland website and it looks like ACA Molina is a coverage they accept.
I don’t know if her living in Plano will make a difference though. I know if you are uninsured, you must live in Dallas to received the Parkland Plus discounted coverage I mention in this article. Again it looks like Parkland accepts ACA Molina, but the only question is whether her Plano address will matter. Contact Patient Access at 214-266-4000, to see if she qualifies.
Hi, can an elderly undocumented immigrant apply for this insurance?
Hi Luis! I’m not 100% certain because I live in Houston. But if this program is like our Harris health gold card program then yes an undocumented immigrant can receive healthcare through this program. What they probably do require is that that individual live in Dallas County. So they would need mail in their name proving that they are a Dallas County resident. If you need more resources like this I just started a new website called NecesitoAyudaTexas.com that has lots of community resources in Spanish for the whole state of Texas.
Hi, this is so informative!
How about someone lives in Ft Worth or Arlington? Do they have similar programs?
Thank you so much for the kind words Lirain! If you are in Fort Worth/Arlington I believe JPS Health Network is their equivalent of Parkland. If you don’t have health insurance in Tarrant County contact JPS Health, they should be able to help you.
I have been on the Parkland Plan for over ten years and my current plan isn’t set to expire until September. But I have just very recently moved out of Dallas County and I am not sure if the Plan will still cover my medical needs until then or not. I am unemployed so I have 100% coverage right now. Do I need to apply for something else? Can I get health insurance after open enrollment has ended?
Contact Parkland financial assistance program to see if they will still cover you. If they do not cover you let me know what is your new county and I can send you that county’s equivalent of Parkland financial assistance program. I do know that the Parkland financial assistance program only helps individuals in Dallas County. Again contact Parkland to find out if you are still in their network.
I think I’m over the federal poverty line but I have Medicare. So because of Medicare will I qualify?
Hi Terri! If you want to see a Parkland doctor, I’m almost certain they will accept you Medicare. Contact them to be on the safe side though.
The Parkland Plus Health Insurance program that I’m referring to is for individuals who have no health insurance. Parkland treats both uninsured and insured patients. Again I’m confident that they will accept your Medicare, but call them for details.
Hi Terri,
Does parkland offer counseling?
Hi Deanna, Parkland has a Behavioral Health that offers low cost counseling in Dallas. This counseling clinic is located on Harry Hines Blvd. You can check it out at the link below:
https://www.parklandhospital.com/locations/behavioral-health-clinic-135
What is the difference in Parkland Plus Insurance and Parkland financial assistance? My husband and I have been qualifying for Parkland Financial Assistance for the past 3 years. He is HIV positive. He receives a lot of appointments, the Hand Clinic, Spine Clinic, HIV medical support, eye surgeries, ect… I haven’t been able to figure out how I can just get an annual exam. I haven’t had one since I lost my Blue Cross/ Blue Shield coverage 20 years ago.
Hi Dawna, In reference to this article it’s the same thing.
Parkland Plus is the term most people use when referring to the indigent insurance program through Parkland.
If you also have Parkland Financial Assistance plan call the Parkland appointment line at 214.266.4000. and they should be able to set you up with an annual exam. This page talks about the importance of annual exams at Parkland, so they should accomodate you.
Hi Nick,
My mother is over 65, no income, lives with me. I don’t claim her as my tax dependent but she is financially dependent upon me. Will my income be considered for her qualification of Parkland plus?
Hi SP just seeing this. I know you commented and emailed. If you did not get the email I sent you just let me know.
Also if you need more options for healthcare let me know but a good potential option if Parkland cannot help is Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic. They are located throughout the Dallas area.