Several weeks ago, a dear family friend of mine suffered a devastating stroke. For a few days, his family members didn’t know if he would survive this event. Thankfully, he did. Now, he is undergoing the slow recovery process in a nursing home. Since his stroke, his family has been amazing. They visit him daily at the nursing facility. They have even decorated his room in an effort to make him feel like he is at home. If your loved one has recently been admitted to a nursing home, don’t despair. You may be able to help your loved one adjust to this living situation better by being supportive. On this blog, you will discover the ways to make your loved one’s transition to a nursing home easier.
A Home Away from Home
Acquiring Medicaid: What It Is, What It Covers, and How to Get It
Johnny Rodriguez
In a world where health insurance is the political hot button of the moment, you want to be able to get coverage at an affordable cost. If you are not disabled or retired, Medicare is not an option. The best-kept secret is Medicaid. This is health insurance provided to low-income households. If that describes your situation, you may be able to get Medicaid health insurance free or at a reduced cost. Here is more about this health insurance program that not a lot of people know about.
What Is Medicaid
Medicaid is like food stamps or other low-income social subsidy programs. It provides medical insurance and assistance to people who cannot afford insurance under Obamacare and who do not receive insurance as a benefit from their employers. Families with children qualify more often than single people do, but you can still apply if you do not have insurance and only make minimum wage. If you apply and are approved, you will select from one of a few healthcare insurance providers that have partnered with your state's Medicaid program. The chances that your regular doctors are actually covered by an insurance provider partnered with Medicaid are really good.
What It Covers
Imagine almost all of your healthcare needs and costs being fully covered. Co-pays for medication and office visits are rarely more than a few dollars. Specialists are covered if you are referred to them or you can continue using your doctors that have treated your pre-existing conditions for years. Mental health specialists, dental coverage, and vision coverage are also available. It is better than most other insurance plans by comparison, and it costs nearly nothing.
How to Get Medicaid
To get Medicaid, you do have to meet the federal poverty guidelines as established in your state. You can check these guidelines online when you go to your state's financial assistance website. Then you can apply online by establishing an account login and choosing "start a new application." The application will ask you all kinds of questions in regards to household members' personal information, health conditions, and household income. It will ask you to upload your recent income tax forms and copies of your paystubs to determine if household income qualifies.
Then a Medicaid specialist will spend the next week assessing everything you have provided with your application. If approved, you will receive a welcome packet and you will have to choose a healthcare provider to be enrolled with. The whole process only takes a couple of weeks if you upload or send all the correct documents in a timely fashion. The Medicaid specialist assigned to your case can answer any questions you have and check on the status of your application.
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