Ryan Galiotto

Posts Tagged ‘health insurance for college student’

If you fall into a low income group, you may very well qualify for Medicaid. People who donat have medical insurance or who have inadequate medical insurance may qualify. The guidelines for Medicaid are established by the Federal Government and administered by each state individually. For this reason, your eligibility will be determined by your State Agency, and that is who you must contact.

KEY ELIGIBILITY GROUPS Each state must provide service to members of certain, specific eligibility groups. They may also choose to include some other groups for Medicaid service. The groups that must be considered are: Categorically needy, medically need, and special groups. In this article, we will outline the criteria that define the key eligibility groups for Statesa plans. This is not an all inclusive list. To find out the specifics for your area, it will be necessary for you to contact your State Agency.

CATEGORICALLY NEEDY
1. Families who meet statesa Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) eligibility requirements in effect on July 16, 1996.
2. Pregnant women and children under age 6 whose family income is at or below 133 % of the Federal poverty level.
3. Children ages 6 to 19 with family income up to 100% of the Federal poverty level.
4. Individuals and couples who are living in medical institutions and who have monthly income up to 300% of the SSI income standard (Federal benefit rate).

MEDICALLY NEEDY
1. Children under age 21, 20, 19, or under age 19 who are full-time students. If a state doesnat want to cover all of these children, it can limit eligibility to reasonable groups of these children.
2. Aged persons (age 65 and older). Blind persons (blindness is determined using the SSI program standards or state standards).
3. Disabled persons (disability is determined using the SSI program standards or state standards).

SPECIAL GROUPS
1. Medicare Beneficiariesa#8221;Medicaid pays Medicare premiums, deductibles and coinsurance for Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMB)a#8221;individuals whose income is at or below 100% of the Federal poverty level and whose resources are at or below twice the standard allowed under SSI. There are additional groups for whom Medicare related expenses are paid by Medicaida#8221;Medicare beneficiaries with income greater than 100% but less than 135% of the Federal poverty level.

When Eligibility Starts
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.

Chances are, if you have a very low level of income or if your household income matches eligibility requirements as well as the rules your state has set up, you may qualify for Medicaid. Double-check the criteria, and if you think it may apply to you, be sure to find out if you are eligible.

So, before you apply for Medicaid, the best thing that you can do is check with your state laws regarding the rules and eligibility requirements on getting Medicaid.
For more details visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/eligibility or http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/whoiseligible.asp).