Care On-Call

Virtual healthcare takes the hassle out of seeing a doctor

You'll be cared for by the same trusted, board-certified doctors you would see if you visited a clinic.

Photo courtesy of Methodist

When you're feeling under the weather, it can seem like a monumental task to drag yourself out of bed and into a doctor's office. Thanks to Methodist Family Health Center, you no longer even need to leave the house to get treated for more than 25 common conditions.

For $40, roughly the same cost as a co-pay, MethodistNOW lets you visit virtually with a licensed, board-certified doctor. It's fast, easy, and available seven days a week.

Here's how MethodistNOW works:

Submit your symptoms
Complete an online health interview by answering questions about how you feel and what symptoms you're experiencing. If necessary, provide photos (you can do this on any web-enabled device: smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop). The whole process should take only 5-15 minutes, and you can start a "visit" anytime, day or night.

A doc reviews your document
Within 60 minutes (during the normal operating hours of 8 am-8 pm), a MethodistNOW doctor will review your responses and create a treatment plan. If your visit is started after-hours, then you will receive a response the next business day. If the doctor determines that you cannot be treated online and need to be seen in person, you will not be charged for the visit.

Pick your pharmacy
If a prescription is clinically appropriate, your treatment plan will include a link to have your prescription filled. Just click the link, select the pharmacy of your choice, and send the prescription – it's that easy.

Relief for the whole family
Anyone over 18 can create a MethodistNOW account. You can also add adult dependents and minor children to your account, but keep in mind that visits for minor children must be completed by a parent.

What's treated?
Besides flu and the common cold, MethodistNOW can help you find fast relief from sinus infections, pinkeye, skin conditions, and bladder infections/UTIs. You can also seek medication for motion sickness if you're about to travel, get allergy help, and find nicotine-replacement products for quitting tobacco. See a full list of conditions here.

When using MethodistNOW, you will always be cared for by the same trusted, board-certified doctors you would see if you visited a clinic. That means, whether online or in person, you'll receive the same high quality care you've come to expect from Methodist Family Health Centers — just without ever having to leave your home.

apps health technology promoted

income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

The cost of raising a child has ballooned in major metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, forcing many families to weight the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas, that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support their stay-at-home partner and their child, the report found. If both parents worked in the household, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in North Texas, however, is slightly more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $22,337 to raise a child in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report's author says families will look for ways to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family

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income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas