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What is Medicaid?
Enacted in 1965 through amendments to the Social Security Act, Medicaid is a health and long-term care coverage program that is jointly financed by states and the federal government. Each state establishes and administers its own Medicaid program and determines the type, amount, duration, and scope of services covered within broad federal guidelines. States must cover certain mandatory benefits and may choose to provide other optional benefits. Federal law also requires states to cover certain mandatory eligibility groups, including qualified parents, children, and pregnant women with low income, as well as older adults and people with disabilities with low income. States have the flexibility to cover other optional eligibility groups and set eligibility criteria within the federal standards. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 creates a new national Medicaid minimum eligibility level that covers most Americans with household income up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. This new eligibility requirement is effective January 1, 2014, but states may choose to expand coverage before this date. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created in 1997 through an amendment to the Social Security Act to provide health care coverage to low-income children not already eligible for Medicaid. Like Medicaid, CHIP is jointly financed by states and the federal government. States have the option of using CHIP funds to expand their existing Medicaid program, create a separate stand-alone CHIP, or do a combination of both. MORE... |
Medicaid and LOW INCOME SUBSIDY (LIS)
Categories of dual eligible beneficiaries and out-of-pocket costs that must be paid by Medicaid:
*** This information may change. We are supplying this information for educational purposes. Please contact the agency that handles assistance for the most up to date details. |
