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Medicaid Income Qualifications

How to provide health care is a topic that never gets completely solved in any society. Is it unfair for government to provide health for one person and not everyone? The United States institutes some social safety nets to ensure the health of it's citizens. One these programs, Medicaid, may help with health costs if you qualify.

  1. History

    • Harry S. Truman championed a Medicaid bill twenty years before Lyndon Baines Johnson signed it in law in the mid 1960s as part of his Great Society movement. The initial Medicaid legislation intended to help the less fortunate afford doctor visits, generally the very poor and their children, disabled individuals and retirees. Since inception, Medicaid has consistently expanded it's services and offered them to more citizens.

    Who Determines Eligibility

    • It is important to note that although Medicaid is a federal program, the federal government only administers funding for the program and leaves the eligibility process up to the states. Someone who qualifies for Medicaid in one state may not qualify in other states. How the state's Medicaid program classifies your case can also determine eligibility.

    Income

    • Income plays the most important factor in Medicaid eligibility. Medicaid is intended for low income individuals. This usually means those who make significantly less than the federal poverty level. An income level below the poverty line does not guarantee you qualify for Medicaid; assets such as property and investments may disqualify someone from the program.

    Status

    • Status is the second most important factor when states determine eligibility, but like income not the only factor that the states consider. A Medicaid recipient must be a citizen or have a lawful right to reside in the United States. Older people tend to qualify more than younger people, especially if they live in a nursing home. Anyone with a severe disability usually qualifies for Medicaid assistance unless they earn a significant income.

    Exceptions To Ineligibility

    • Some extreme situations may supersede the normal standards for Medicaid qualification. Disabled children of low income families almost always qualify for Medicaid, even if the parents of the disabled child immigrate to the U.S. illegally. Medicaid programs tend can offer aid to those ineligible based on income, but only when the individual has a medical condition that requires many times that which the person can afford.

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