Posts filed under 'General-Medicaid'
What you must understand about Medicare as opposed to Medicaid is that Medicaid provides help to those that have no resources left, where as Medicare assists those who do have resources. With Medicaid you have to be able to prove that you have no resources left in order to get access to the assistance that is possible. No resources includes your savings and investment accounts, though there are times were moderate exceptions are made.
Medicare will take you to a point that is close to where you would need to be to survive on a regular basis in every day common life. Medicaid will pick you up when you don’t know how to get through the day to day processes and help you pay for Medicare deductibles and coinsurance at times. Medicare is open to everyone at a certain point in life, but Medicaid is only open to the less fortunate parts of society.
Medicaid will pay for personal care and homemaker expenses as well as health care and medical equipment when you may need it. When the time comes into get equipment that could help change your life you need to look no further than your Medicaid possible. It will help you try to live a normal life and get your work done in due time so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Medicaid, like most federally funded programs, has a lot of programs to help you qualify for the coverage as long as you meet certain guidelines. Once these guidelines have been met your coverage will kick in and you will be in good shape. One such guideline is that your assets must drop to a certain limit before you can receive federal and state aid from Medicaid.
Florida Medicaid offers “asset preservation” courses and seminars to people who could qualify but don’t based on current requirements. These courses will show the individual how to reorganize their assets in order to meet the pre-determined Medicaid requirement for personal assets. If you believe that you or a loved one would qualify then you should seek out the service through Florida Medicaid.
One important thing to remember about your assets is the amount of gifts that you give in the period before applying for Medicaid. Many elderly people give gifts to family to help pay for large purchases. These can be detrimental to enrollment and should be discussed with a Medicaid expert before being completed.
Many people do not know the difference between Medicaid and Medicare and tend to assume that they are the same thing. While it is health care coverage that is provided by the government, they are run by different kinds of government. Medicare is federally funded, while Medicaid is a combination of state and federal funding. To receive federal funding the state must abide by certain guidelines.
Here is a brief overview of who is mandatorily covered by Medicaid per the Federal Government:
• Low-income families participating in CalWORKs, and those who meet financial standards for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) that were in effect in July 1996.
• Seniors and people with disabilities participating in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
• Pregnant women and children with family incomes below specified levels.
• Children receiving foster care and adoption assistance.
• Certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
If you feel you belong in one of these groups and you have been denied coverage to Medicaid you should contact your local government representative. These guidelines are tied to state funding for the program and the state can face penalties for non-cooperation.
The idea of the Federal Government stepping in to help people is only right in the minds of some people while it is completely wrong in the minds of others. Some point to welfare programs and can’t stop talking about the amount of peril it has caused our society. Others point to these programs as a beacon of freedom and loving community. In this vein, what is Medicaid and who does it cover?
Firstly, understand that the government offers Medicare to people who are disabled or elderly as a way of getting insurance coverage where it may not be offered otherwise. With Medicaid the government has tried a different approach, being that you pay for an insurance plan through someone else and they help. This is a plan that teaches ownership and accountability.
Medicaid is only offered to those who are in financial peril, likely on the brink of total poverty and this is the only answer. Medicaid will not be offered to you just because you need help if it is not absolutely necessary. The main way to remember the difference between Medicare and Medicaid is that one provides a complete service while the other is simply holding you upright.
This is a question that many people ask when they know that they just simply need a break. It is very hard to overcome the struggles that await us with the costs of healthcare unless someone or some group is willing to help There are some people who go directly to the hungry or mistreated who help and there are others that want to give time, effort and financial support as well.
One reason that you should apply for Medicaid even if you don’t know if you could get help is that you could get it for someone else. If you house a child, either of relation or not, that does not have any insurance it is possible for Medicaid to step in. One of the primary goals of our current administration is that all children are taken care of regardless of the situation.
Even if the kid that is currently residing with you is of no relation you should check to see if he/she is covered. This has happened a few times before and you should provide assistance with medical bills whenever necessary. Medicare is for people to help you find something nice, Medicaid is what will help you through the process.
“Coverage may start retroactive to any or all of the three months prior to application, if the individual would have been eligible during the retroactive period. Coverage generally stops at the end of the month in which a person's circumstances change. Most states have additional "state-only" programs to provide medical assistance for specified people with limited incomes and resources who do not qualify for the Medicaid program. No Federal funds are provided for state-only programs.”
Did that muddy up the waters for you? It may be difficult on any given day to step in front of a lot of accomplished people and say those words, but it must be what was thought. What the definition is trying to say is that you are eligible from the minute you filled out the application if you find out afterwards that the situation was questionable.
As soon as your condition changes, for the better, you will be taken out of Medicaid as you are no longer in need of its services. However, if the Federal Government refuses payment you can look in to the state run program where you are from. State run programs are often more likely to give to those in their community over all others in the grand scheme of things..
Just as congress is trying to pass legislation which will give Medicaid a boost, Alaska has been put on a moratorium by the federal government and CMS due to noncompliance when it comes to enforcing Medicaid rules. This is temporary, however there is no guess as to how temporary it will be.
Because of this moratorium, many people who need to sign up for Medicaid need to wait until this is over. The review raised concerns that the state Medicaid agency has not taken necessary safeguards "to protect the health and welfare of the recipients of the services."
Until the review is done, there can be no more individuals added to the Medicaid rolls. The review has been called for because of several areas of non-compliance. For instance, form 27 to 2009 the state reported 27 Alaskans died while waiting for initial assessments and 227 died while waiting to be reassessed.
The system should work much faster than that. The state says that it was behind in assessments because it did not have enough nurses. The review also found the state is not in compliance with requirements for all waivers.
"CMS has determined, in order for us to develop our business processes and refine those that we have in place, that a moratorium is necessary," Rebecca Hilgendorf, director of Senior and Disabilities Services said.
Theresa Bovey, CEO of Trinion Quality Care Services, which provides in-home personal care in Anchorage, says this moratorium could have a huge impact on those who need Medicaid and won't be able to get it now.
It is hopeful that these issues can be resolved quickly and enrollment can begin again after the moratorium is lifted, however, the review is not scheduled until March. In the meantime, the state must create a plan that shows what they will do to improve their Medicaid services. This plan must be presented to CMS before they will consider ending the moratorium.
It has been about two years since the Deficit Reduction Act went into effect (7/1/06) requiring all immigrants to give proof of legal immigration or citizenship when they are applying for Medicaid for the first time. This applies to children, as well. Most legal immigrants cannot receive Medicaid benefits for the first five years that they are in the U.S. and undocumented immigrants can only receive emergency Medicaid services.
Once the bill became law, it also restricted citizens, as well. Medicaid enrollment has declined since the law was enacted, partially because even U.S. citizens are finding it difficult to locate some of the documents required to enroll for Medicaid services. This is because some of the documents need to be original documents, and it can be difficult to obtain original documents in many cases.
As far as Medicaid goes, they receive matching federal funds to help run the program and pay claims. As a result, even if they wanted to assist individuals without documentation it would be a problem for Medicaid both in a financial sense and in a legal sense.
The rules are so stringent that CMS has instituted a rule that even requires child welfare agencies to document citizenship for children being placed into foster care. There are some issues where people receive extra time to provide documentation, however, they are limited and must adhere to very specific rules and time frames.
Once an individual has completed the documentation process and is approved for coverage, they will be covered retroactively to the date of the application or to the month of the application depending on the state they are living in and a few other variables.
The primary types of identification include a state driver’s license, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship or a U.S. passport. Secondary types of identification for naturalized citizens include a U.S. Birth Certificate, data verification with Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) documentation, or documentation and data match with a state verification agency, as well as other documents.
It is important to know the law, your rights, your responsibilities and your entitlements in order to receive the benefits you need. You can research them on the web by going to the CMS website.
Many states do a poor job of regulating Medicaid fraud because it is a not a simple matter economically. After all, for ever dollar Medicaid brings into a state, there is a federal matching dollar hat the state receives. Some states even overpay Medicaid providers, collect matching federal funds, and collect kickbacks of overpayments, thus becoming part of the fraud problem.
The question then becomes, what is the sense behind turning the oversight of Medicaid over to the same government that is participating in the fraud? Their actions have created long waiting lists, rationing of care and poor delivery of not enough care, again controlled by the government.
There is another side to the issue, however. What happens when you need to make the numbers work? It’s important to look at the major problem. There are many honest and caring physicians who try to help as many individuals on Medicaid as possible. The problem is that even the busiest physicians that take Medicare can’t take more than about 28% of their caseload in Medicaid patients, they can’t afford to stay in business because the amount they are reimbursed is lower than the services provided. Therefore, if there are too many Medicaid patients seeing a particular doctor, he loses money until he can’t afford to stay in business any more.
We haven’t even talked about the number of children covered by Medicaid for various reasons. There are over 25 million kids that have various forms of Medicaid coverage. There are Targeted Case Workers and Case Management through Medicaid Rehabilitative Services who do all they can to deal with children’s’ physical and mental disabilities – getting help and services for them while keeping expenses to Medicaid and to physicians under control. A federal-state partnership that exists now to cover these expenses could be eliminated if some politicians get their way.
Looking at both sides, the hope is that the politicians will be able to work with the expenses while remembering that these issues are not only about finances, but at the heart of the issues are children and adults with vulnerabilities and disabilities that depend on the Medicaid system to help keep them well.
Medicaid was designed to cover low income individuals and their families for hospital services ( in and out patient), laboratory services, x rays, home nursing care, doctors services, physical therapy, hospice and rehabilitation care. Medicaid recipients must go to a Medicaid-approved doctor who is on the Medicaid list. Sometimes, in some areas, there are a limited number of doctors that accept Medicaid, so some individuals have to search carefully and, once they find the right physician that they are comfortable with that are Medicaid approved and accept Medicaid for payment. As a result, there is often a waiting list for an appointment, even if it’s an urgent situation. In a serious emergency, the doctor’s office may take you right away and “squeeze you in” to their schedule. More often, they send you to the emergency room, which ends up costing you, taxpayers, the community, the hospital and Medicaid more money than if Medicaid reimbursed good doctors enough money to be able to enroll and appoint more, thus eliminating some of the long waiting line.
Federal laws state that if you become eligible for Medicaid, which is based on income and need, the states may not reduce other welfare benefits you are receiving. In addition, we have been hearing a lot about trying to exclude legal immigrants from Medicaid system. The problem with this is that Medicaid only requires – by law – for an individual to establish and prove residency (and meet low income requirements) to apply for and, if approved, receive Medicaid benefits. States cannot impose citizenship requirements on anyone who needs Medicaid benefits. Regardless of age or whether or not the individual works is not a reason that Medicaid can use to eliminate you from the program.
Unfortunately, these situations are taking place in a number of states. If you or someone you know feels that they are not being treated fairly regarding Medicaid benefits, you can contact some places that can help. Information is available to you through www.seniorlaw.com.
Imagine having medical services performed, thinking you are covered by Medicaid, but instead, finding out that you have a lien against you instead.
This has happened to some people in Missouri who have become part of a class action lawsuit to eliminate the liens and get the financial situation resolved.
The Plaintiffs in the case are claiming that the liens are against monies that are not compensation for past medical bills and services and the liens are a violation against the plaintiffs, who are asking the supreme court for help in settling the situation.
The court granted a Class Certification because the money in dispute which resulted in liens is Workers’ Compensation funding that several hundred individuals received after accidents or injuries that kept them from working. Their contention is that the Workers’ Compensation payments, which mainly replace lost salary, have absolutely nothing to do with Medicaid benefits, which are for medical expenses. Another reason for the class action suit is to be sure that all of the plaintiffs will be treated the same and treated fairly.
Medicaid has said that many of the claims should be barred due to the fact that the statute of limitations eliminates them from being able to participate in a class-action lawsuit. The court ruled that this issue could be determined later, as well as issues of class certification.
In the meantime, this will be an interesting issue to watch. It is not a situation that comes up often, however with cuts in Medicaid budgets and services, as well as states who are dealing with tight budgets and fiscal cuts, issues – especially precedent-setting lawsuits such as this one – important precedents are being set for the future and could affect q great many people – even you. If you need information regarding your rights regarding Medicare or Medicaid, not only can you check with www.medicare.gov and www.medicaid.gov, but also AARP, The Disability Law Center in your area and the Medicaid Legal Information Institute at Cornell University on the internet at topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/Medicaid.
The issue of immigrants and aliens in this country has been heated for years. It is something that has been discussed as the population has changed – especially in the past decade. Sometimes, however, both sides of the debate seem to forget that this is a nation that, other than Native Americans, was largely built by immigrants. Yet, these days, there are big questions that keep coming up about immigrants, aliens and paying taxes or having certain types of benefits, especially health insurance coverage.
One state that has a huge issue with aliens is California, due to many factors. Many of the state’s citizens are individuals that are aliens, and though the insurance coverage controversy is limited to aliens that are legally here – green cards and all – there is still a huge issue surrounding these individuals and their benefits.
To offset budget issues, Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed and is fighting for limiting or eliminating health care coverage for immigrants/aliens that have had a green card for less than five years. This proposal would supposedly save $85 million or more by eliminating many preventative services for those individuals and their families. The problem with this is that, once again, it’s great to look at the short term but the long term must be addressed. If people do not have Medicaid coverage (called Medi-Cal in California), to help them stay healthy, studies throughout the count.ry in various states have shown that the costs are often much more in the long term because without preventative and basic care, people wait until their health situation is acute before they deal with it. Because people wait until they can wait no longer, they end up in an emergency room instead of a doctor’s office, therefore incurring a cost that can be up to an average of 7 to 10 times that of a preventative or even an acute visit to the doctors office. A doctors visit at a local clinic usually costs between $10 and $25; and a doctors visit at a private doctor’s office can be $35 to $100 depending on what area of the country a person is in. With Medicaid, a doctor’s visit would cost a co-pay of $10 to $20. All of these are far less than the average emergency room visit which can cost from about $200 to $2000, depending on where you are and the procedures that have to be done. The likelihood of a low-income individual paying the doctors visit or working out payments with or without insurance, is much better than them paying for the hospital visit. Too many times, the hospital gets stuck providing care and receiving little or nothing because the person truly has no money and the hospital is obligated not to turn anyone away.
It is important to keep an eye on California to see how the Governor’s bill turns out. Let’s remember that aliens that are legal and have green cards have taxes taken out of their paychecks, thus contributing to the economy. It is essential to weigh the pros and cons as well as the financial impact of cutting these individuals out of insurance benefits/Medicaid coverage that could essentially keep them and keep the economy healthier.
Governor Charlie Christ, Florida’s Governor has been traveling throughout Florida from one end of the state to the other to sign a groundbreaking bill that will offer low-cost insurance to low income individuals and families throughout the state. The policies will be stripped down, but will still cover the necessities.
At this time 21% of Florida’s residents are uninsured, and the bill will help them immensely. At this rate of uninsured residents, Florida is the fourth highest ranking uninsured state in the country. The Governor is most excited about the new insurance bill because of what he feels is one of its best features: it will not cost taxpayers a cent. To be able to provide insurance coverage for those in need and save the taxpayers money is a stunning feat.
Because budgets in most states throughout the country are strained, at best, the states are looking at Florida’s innovative ideas regarding insurance coverage for those who need it most. States are looking to Florida to see how – and if – this can truly work, and whether the plans can work without creating any costs for taxpayers.
Some states are looking at lowering the cost of healthcare rather than covering the uninsured, which may be less expensive on one hand for the states considering this way of dealing with the issue, however, it could actually cost states more because most states have laws that state that hospitals must treat everyone, regardless of whether or not they have insurance coverage or the cash or credit to pay for treatment. As a result, rather than states spending a smaller amount on outpatient services to keep people healthy, they are having to provide much more expensive hospital expenses when people’s conditions become acute and their only remedy is rushing to the emergency room.
Florida is trying to deal with the short term and the long term by covering people and making services available so that they are able to stay healthier and avoid catastrophic health issues, therefore saving the state, the taxpayers and the hospitals substantial amounts of money.
It will be interesting to see how Florida’s new system of covering low income uninsured individuals and families turn out. If Florida is successful n this endeavor, and since it is the state with the fourth highest uninsured rate in the country, their success could lead the way to help people in need of insurance coverage in other states throughout the country.
There is a new twist in health insurance that some states have initiated to give Medicaid recipients an extra choice in their health care This new provision is called a Health Opportunity Account.
The Health Opportunity Account is an account an individual who has high-deductible health insurance or who has Medicaid can use to offset some medical expenses. This is an account that gives an individual more of a choice in how their health care dollars are spent.
The Health Opportunity Account is set up through a state system in the state you live in, and it can be used to pay for out-of-pocket health care costs. If you choose to set up a Health Opportunity Account, you will be offered Medicaid benefits. That means that if you are not insured now, this might be a plan to look into and see if your state offers this program and whether you qualify.
If you are in a state that has Health Opportunity Accounts, the state will set aside up to a total of $2,500 per eligible adult or $1,000 per eligible child toward deposits in the account. In the event that you enroll in the program and eventually become ineligible for Medicaid, if there is money left in your account, you would be allowed to use the money for up to three (3) years to pay for such things as health insurance premiums and medical expenses.
The program is mostly geared toward relatively healthy adults and children who are Medicaid recipients. There are some restrictions to the program. A person will not qualify if they are:
• Age 65 or older
• Pregnant
• Blind or disabled
• Eligible for Medicaid benefits, but have only been eligible for less than three (3 ) months
• Certain individuals in hospitals, medical facilities or other medical institutions or nursing homes
• Individuals entitled to any part of Medicare
• Individuals who are terminally ill and receiving benefits for hospice care
• Certain individuals who are medically frail or who have special medical needs
• Children receiving Title IV-E foster care or adoption assistance
There are a limited number of states participating in this program. If you are interested in more information or in participating, contact your state Medicaid office, visit www.medicaid.com and enter your state where prompted or call
1-800-MEDICAID.
The Arizona Hospital and Health Care Association launched a new web site Tuesday called the Hospital Choice Web Site. This is an innovative move to help consumers determine costs at hospitals throughout Arizona. The site compares average charges, lengths of stay, and the number of procedures performed at each hospital.
This is extremely important for the growing number of uninsured or underinsured individuals. It follows the pattern that Medicare started two years ago when they began posting information about their payments for medical procedures and the range of costs in each county, plus the number of procedures performed at each hospital.
Medicare also provides information online regarding how well hospitals take care of their patients, mortality rates, and how well they care for individuals who have had issues such as heart attacks and strokes.
The idea behind having this information readily available is so that it is easy for individuals – especially potential patients – to comparison shop just as they would at the grocery store or when buying a car. They can now decide - along with insurance or Medicare/Medicaid benefits, which hospital would be best to suit their financial and medical needs. As a result, they become more in charge of their own personal healthcare, rather than leaving it in the hands of a program and its administrator.
The hope is that the quality of care will continue to rise while costs diminish due to public scrutiny. With an easy to understand, transparent reporting system that is available to the public, it will be easier to hold hospitals accountable, and it will be in their best interests to create more or better quality control mechanisms so that they will hold themselves accountable.
Transparent reporting is a positive step in improving health care and increasing the dialogue between patients/consumers and providers to come up with real solutions for the short and long term.
Over ten years ago, a woman in New Jersey heeded home care with basic daily needs after a serious illness. Medicaid would pay for a home health worker to come into her home and help care for her; however the overtaxed New Jersey home health care system had no available workers.
The woman’s daughter did not know what else to do besides putting her in a nursing home. Before that happened, however, an alternative idea was that the Medicaid funds could be used for the woman to hire family to take care of her.
Through this first small step for Medicaid, but huge step for this individual’s family, the Cash and Counseling program began. Grants were given to New Jersey, Arkansas and Florida to pilot the program, and since that time in the late 1990’s, this program has spread to many states in the country.
It has been an excellent program for any reasons. One situation is that the individual is being taken care of at home by their family and not a stranger. They are in familiar place, where statistics show that they will have better resources, more interaction with family and friends, and less isolation and loneliness, all of which lead to faster and stronger recovery. In addition, staying at home and not in a nursing home is certainly much more cost effective and will definitely help the person’s health stay or become more stable.
The federal government has made it easier to participate in this program because it has eliminated the requirement for people to get a Medicaid waiver to participate. According to AARP, this will save a tremendous amount of money. AARP says that home health care costs about a half of what care in a nursing facility costs, and most individuals and their families prefer to stay at home to be cared for unless they are extremely ill or frail.
If you or someone in your family or circle of friends are in this situation, be sure to contact Medicaid at www.medicaid.gov to get further information. It is quite possible that health care can be continued at home with the comfort of being surrounded by family and friends.
The New England Journal of Medicine recently released an article regarding the place that Long Term Care will play in the future. Because it affects such a large part of the population, it is an important topic to tackle.
The article brought out that there are serious flaws in the long term care system and that these flaws expose the people who need the care the most to serious financial risk. How will those who cannot afford the financial risk be able to be taken care of? That is an important question that has not been addressed enough – even by the candidates that are currently running for office.
For now, of the nearly 10 million individuals who need assistance with daily living, most live at home and receive assistance from their family and friends. Because most Americans enter retirement without large sums of money set aside, they must be quite frugal regarding day-to-day living, much less money for extras, including medical care – especially long-term care.
State governments are struggling with the funding of long-term care through Medicaid. As costs for long term care get higher, Medicaid works to keep up the best it can, but with current flaws and no definite solutions in sight, Medicaid could very likely buckle under the strain
In addition, when Baby Boomers are factored into the equation, the picture becomes even more abstract. The solution is not cut and dried, nor is it an easy one. As we look at the legislators who will take office after the elections, it will be important for them to look at the issue of long-term care and raise awareness about it. There has to be a long look at where Medicare and Medicaid fit into long term care and acute care, as well. New approaches must be explored.
Most importantly, though, the discussion needs to begin and the questions need to be asked This should all be done in earnest with open minds truly looking for realistic answers to this situation.
Keep your eyes on the news and check with www.medicare.com and www.medicaid.com and AARP. Make sure you know what your situation is with regard to long-term care and your Medicaid or Medicare benefits.
During the past decade or more, there has been a push by citizens, advocates and, yes, even congress, to allow individuals to have home health care rather than staying in a facility. As many of us know, a person that can live at home and interact in the community, while being taken care of medically, will most likely live a longer and fuller life.
One state, Connecticut, has moved into the cadre of states who are working to allow individuals to stay at home, get home health care, and live full lives. Senators there have passed a bill that will move about 5,000 individuals who are elderly or disabled out of care facilities and institutions back to their homes and their communities.
This is vitally important. Statistics have shown that individuals that have community support and independent living, live longer and are healthier than those who are confined to hospitals, institutions and long-term care facilities. This does not mean that everyone is capable of living on their own and interacting in the community without assistance. Some individuals might be better in a variety of care settings. However, it has long been known that there are many individuals in facilities, hospitals and institutions that should really be able to live in the community.
This is a win-win situation. Medicaid will save money – it is much less costly to live in a group home or apartment and have a variety of supports defraying the costs, than it is to stay in a hospital, facility or institution where rates range (depending on the area the person lives in) from nearly $200 per day to over $1,000 per day.
I have personally worked in several states with individuals who were involved in independent living programs. Some lived in group homes and others lived in their own apartment. Still others were able to live at home with their families. Many of them had gainful employment, meaning that in many cases, they either needed less benefits and actually paid taxes, helping the economy; or they had small jobs that prepared them to move forward in the community and eventually be self-sufficient.
No matter what the situation, helping individuals that are able to integrate into the community and work toward independence is a huge step forward for the individual, the community they live in, and society in general.
At this time, it looks as though the trend has caught on and is continuing. In the long run, it can save Medicaid and communities millions of dollars. In the short term and the long run, it will heal individuals, families, and the community and make all of these entities stronger and richer for the progressive change.
Most people who are Medicaid recipients know that their income must stay below a certain level in order for them to maintain their Medicaid eligibility and benefits. Therefore, they must carefully check their finances so that they do not exceed that amount and lose their benefits. This is critical, since Medicaid is a lifeline for many who can’t otherwise get health care and need to continue treatment, medicine or both.
There has been a lot of confusion regarding the tax rebate checks that are being distributed right now. Individuals receiving Medicaid are worried about whether this extra money will count as income and cause them to lose their benefits.
The answer to this is, “No.” The economic stimulus rebate will not count as income; therefore will not cause individuals to lose their Medicaid, according to South Dakota State University.
Some Medicaid programs count resources as assets, so it is best to check the information at www.ssa.gov, which is the federal Social Security Administration website. Some nursing-home waiver and other SSI-related programs count resources as assets, so it is important to check the site to see if any of these situations apply to you. They could include Disabled Adult Children, Widow/Widower, Grandfathered Children or a few others. You can get specific information regarding these situations on the site.
If you or someone in your family is part of any of these programs, Medicaid will not count the tax rebate as income during the month the rebate is received or for two months afterward. That means that this money will not be counted when Medicaid is deciding whether a person is eligible for that month and the two months after the rebate is received. It is important, however, to note that if the money has not been spent or otherwise disbursed by the fourth month, it will be counted as a resource for the programs listed in the previous paragraph.
If you are a Medicaid recipient, hopefully this clears up the confusion so you can breathe a bit easier now. If you have further questions, go to www.medicaid.gov or www.ssa.gov for more information.
Many individuals with disabilities want to go to work and are able to work at a job. This is a very positive thing in many ways. It helps the individual to build their self-esteem and pride, helps them become a more integrated part of the community, it helps the individual become more self-sufficient and it helps the economy.
There is a drawback for many people with disabilities who want to work. The drawback is simply that individuals are worried that they will lose their benefits – especially their medical benefits – if they go to work. It can feel devastating to be willing and ready to work but have to choose between work and medical care.
The truth is, however, that an individual with a disability can begin – and continue – working and still maintain their benefits. States can extend Medicaid to people who are working but who are earning too much money to qualify for Medicaid under the current rules.
A person can qualify if their income is less that 250 times the national poverty level or if they meet the definition of “disabled” under the Social Security Act and would be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) if they were not working and bringing in an income. An individual can qualify for the buy-in without receiving SSI, and the state would then have to determine whether or not the individual has a disability. The fact that an individual is working will not have a bearing as to whether they are disabled or not.
Another important piece of this equation is the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program. In fact, this program is the foundation through which many of these benefits are protected when a person goes to work. The Ticket to Work program allows for and encourages states to cover individuals between age 16 and 65 years old who decide to go back to work and the states can provide Medicaid to individuals who are working who have improved enough to lose their coverage, but still qualify as being disabled.
So, if you are considering trying to work, find out about the Ticket to Work and find out about whether your state will continue your Medicaid benefits. Take the first step toward working by finding out how you can continue receiving your benefits. You can do this by contacting your State Medicaid Office or go online for information at www.cms.hhs.gov and look up Ticket to Work.
The information you discover may make the difference between you being able to work or not.
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