Are You Eligible For Medicaid?

Once you determine if you are eligible for Medicaid you will be able to get the medical care that you or your family need because the Medicaid program will pay for your medical bills.

Medicaid eligibility has several requirements which can include your citizenship, level of income, age, disability, medical bills, or need for emergency medical care.

The first Medicaid eligibility requirement is that you must be a United States citizen or a lawfully admitted immigrant that has lived in the U.S. for 5 continuous years.

The next step is to determine if you are in one of the many different groups of people that Medicaid covers. Even if you are in one of these groups, you must meet certain requirements. These Medicaid eligibility requirements might include your age, whether you are pregnant, disabled, blind, or your financial situation.

Your financial status is an important Medicaid eligibility requirement. This includes your income and assets such as your bank accounts, property that you own, and other items that can be sold for cash. The rules for counting your income and financial resources vary from state to state and from group to group.There are also special rules if you live in nursing homes and for disabled children that are living at home.

Your child may be eligible for Medicaid coverage if he or she is a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted immigrant, even if you are not. Medicaid eligibility for children is based on the status of the child, not the status of the parents. Also, if someone else's child lives with you, the child may be eligible for Medicaid even if you are not because your income and financial resources will not count for the child.

If you have limited income and financial resources, and you or a family member needs health care, you should apply for Medicaid.

You must be in one of the following groups in order to be eligible for Mediciad:

Women That Are Pregnant or Think They Are Pregnant

If you think you are pregnant, you should apply for Medicaid. You might be eligible if you are single or married. The important thing to remember is that if you are on Medicaid when your child is born, both you and your child will be covered.

Children and Teenagers

If you are the parent or guardian of a child that is 18 years old or younger and your family's income is limited you should apply for Medicaid. You should also apply for Medicaid if your child is sick enough to need nursing home care, but is able to stay at home with good quality care.

If you are a teenager and living on your own, the state you are living in may allow you to apply for Medicaid on your own behalf or any adult may apply for you. Many states also provide Medicaid coverage for children up to the age of 21.

If You Are Aged, Blind, and/or Disabled

You should apply for Medicaid if have limited income and finances and you are:

*Aged 65 years old or older

*Blind

*Disabled

*Terminally ill and want to get hospice services

*Live in a nursing home

*Need nursing home care, but can stay at home with special community care services

*If you are on Medicare

Additional Situations For Which You May Be Eligible For Medicaid

*If you are leaving welfare and need health coverage

*If you are a family with children under age 18 and have limited income and resources. In order to qualify, you do not need to be receiving a welfare check

*If if you have very high medical bills, which you cannot pay

Families Who Meet States Aid to Families with Dependent Children Eligibility Requirements

* Pregnant women and children under age 6 years whose  family income is at or below 133 % of the Federal poverty level.

* Children ages 6 to 19 years with family income up to 100% of the Federal poverty level.

* Caretakers (relatives or legal guardians who take care of children  under age 18 years (or 19 years if still in high school).

* Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients (or, in certain states, aged, blind, and disabled people who meet requirements  that are more restrictive than those of the Federal SSI program).

* Individuals and married couples who are living in medical institutions and  who have monthly income up to 300% of the SSI income standard.

States May Also Provide Medicaid to:

* Children under the age of 21, 20, 19, or under the age of 19 who are full-time students. If a state doesn't want to cover all of these children, it can limit eligibility to reasonable groups of these children age classes.

* Caretaker relatives (relatives or legal guardians who live with and provide care of children).

* Senior Persons (age 65 and older).

* Blind persons (blindness is determined using the federal SSI program standards or state standards).

* Disabled persons (disability is determined using the federal SSI program standards or state standards).

* Persons who would be eligible if not enrolled in a health maintenance organization or HMO.

If you think you are eligible for Medicaid you should submit your Medicaid application as soon as possible. Even if you are not sure of your eligiblity, you should still fill out and submit a Medicaid application because you might just qualify for Medicaid.

If it is determined that you are not eligible for Medicaid, you should do some research to find low cost health insurance that can provide you with the medical coverage that you and your family need.

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The official U.S. Government Medicare Web site is cms.gov.