Changes in the Eligibility for Medicaid May Be Underway

As more Americans are expressing a newfound public appreciation and public awareness for Medicaid, it seems like certain changes to the program, including eligibility for Medicaid are on the horizon. According to Medicaid's executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors Matt Salo, this is critical for the program's future. He also acknowledged that it’s now up to the states to bolster Medicaid in such a way that it becomes holistic, value-driven and most of all, better coordinated for the program's most needy beneficiaries.

Recent Attempt to Cut Medicaid Budget Failed

Recently, GOP congressional proposals have been aimed at one thing: to place a ceiling on the federal spending for Medicaid. This is intended to be part of the group's effort to overthrow the Affordable Care Act, a goal they have failed to meet yet again just recently. If they had succeeded, Medicaid would have lost as much as $834 billion in funding. Read more from this blog: http://bit.ly/2xRflYW

Despite Uncertainty in Eligibility for Medicaid, Enrollees Say They are Satisfied with Care

While there is much uncertainty regarding the future of Americans when it comes to their eligibility for Medicaid, enrollees are currently saying that they are satisfied with the care they have been receiving. In fact, they have said that they are generally satisfied with their overall experience in the program. They also said that they had been largely able to gain access to essential care.

Enrollees Currently Reporting Care Satisfaction Amid Uncertainty

The recent survey analysis was published by JAMA Internal Medicine. The data used was from the first national Medicaid Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System survey that had been administered in 46 states as well as Washington, D.C. For the study, four groups of adults who were enrolled in Medicaid were sampled. Read more from this blog: http://bit.ly/2wlc6Jv

Calls for Action Regarding Eligibility for Medicaid

Everyone is awaiting the Senate’s move regarding the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Earlier this year, the House of Representatives voted to replace it with a downgraded version of American Health Care Act, with the Trump administration recently revealing plans to cut budgets for Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance.

Whatever the Senate would approve on, however, there’s one thing that’s sure: healthcare cost is rising for states that widened their requirements for eligibility for Medicaid under the ACA. As uncertainties hover over the future of this federal-state program that was designed to provide services to low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities, organizations are urging the authorities to protect it.

About 120 leading patient organizations wrote a letter to the Senate expressing concerns about Medicaid. They urged the Senate leadership to stop actions that would change Medicaid’s funding and stop its expansion. They want to keep Medicaid as a support line to patients with existing healthcare needs, stop the proposed switch into a per capita cap or block grant system, and maintain the program’s coverage expansion. Read more from this blog. http://bit.ly/2uYk4HJ

Eligibility for Medicaid May Be Changed by the Proposed Replacement for Obamacare

Medicaid has played a big role in keeping millions of Americans adequately insured and protected with a viable health coverage. Specifically designed to make healthcare more accessible to low-income Americans, Medicaid implements a strict standard before an individual can be declared eligible for the benefits offered.

Many of the beneficiaries of Medicaid are elderly or disabled. The program’s existence is crucial to states delivering quality healthcare to their constituents. States and local governments must carefully balance their budgets to have adequate resources to allocate for this program.

Uncertain Future

Medicaid as well as the rest of the components of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) remains under threat of repeal and replacement. It had a very close call only recently, but the reprieve is short as another proposal has now been passed by the GOP.

Read more from this article: http://bit.ly/2rCePij

Work Requirement May Soon Help Determine Eligibility for Medicaid Benefits

For quite some time now, Medicaid has been the most widely available source of health coverage for people living across the United States. Through this program, over 72.5 million Americans, particularly disabled individuals, pregnant women, children, and seniors, were able to gain affordable health coverage. Due to recent events, however, many of them are at risk of not being able to avail of Medicaid when they would need it most.

After the recent collapse of the proposed American Health Care Act or AHCA, there has been increased interest among the Republicans to add work requirement into the eligibility for Medicaid. In fact, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma both sent letters to various state governors, giving them greater flexibility when it comes to approving Medicaid Section 1115 waivers. At the same time, these include a number of work-related proposals. 

Read more on this article: http://bit.ly/2oZGT9U

Eligibility for Medicaid and Health Coverage Itself Up in the Air as ACA Repeal Looms

It’s been a tense past couple of months as efforts to repeal the ACA, dubbed Obamacare, appears to be more imminent than ever. At this point, people are now simply wondering when it will happen as opposed to whether it will happen. With the resounding support of the Republican majority in Congress, its repeal is most certainly guaranteed already.

Beyond the abolishment of the ACA, however, the more pressing question for all those affected centers on its replacement. Without the ACA in place, what kind of system will be introduced to fill its void?

Filling the Gap

There are no concrete plans announced as of yet, although there have been plenty of talks pointing to what the changes could be. Included in the possible revisions is the removal of the highly contested income-based tax credit of the ACA. In its stead, an age-based tax credit system might be invoked. In this new system, it wouldn’t matter if you are a high or low wage earner. You’ll be getting coverage and benefits equally, as long as you meet the age bracket requirement.

Another looming issue drawing much concern from those currently insured under the ACA is the report of anticipated revisions to Medicaid. A couple of days before February ended, a “discussion draft” was leaked to the public. The draft was supposedly a work in progress by the GOP. However, it conveyed a very telling picture of what will most likely transpire once the ACA is repealed. Read more from this blog. http://bit.ly/2mr9Smj

Eligibility for Medicaid Program and the Joint ACO Model: What to Know

As of 2015, there are at least 73 million people benefitting from the government’s Medicare program, according the Kaiser Family Foundation. As it turns out, it’s not just helping underprivileged citizens get the quality healthcare they deserve, but it’s also helping hospitals protect their bottom line.


Indeed, eligibility services—wherein specialists help patients determine their eligibility for Medicaid benefits—have helped hospitals avoid potential bad debt by helping minimize out-of-pocket costs. Since the Medicare program is subsidizing medical care costs, there is a lower probability that outstanding hospital bills will become debt.Read more from this blog: http://bit.ly/2imyium

Applying for Medicaid Made Easy

For low-income families and individuals, Medicaid is a viable program to apply for and it covers many things. These could include Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance. Facilitate this process for your patients by providing them with some helpful information.

Eligibility for Medicaid: Helping Patients Know

When it comes to health insurance, many people want to apply for Medicaid because of the low-cost options. You can provide information about how this process works so that you can better serve patients, making them want to come back to your hospital again when needing treatment.

Medicaid: What Your Patients Need to Know

Patients in your hospital may fall into the low income category, making them eligible for Medicaid. This social health care program helps families with limited resources. As a hospital manager, you can increase the odds of your patients getting accepted into it by helping them know certain details.

Eligibility for Medicaid: How Improving Your RCM Can Help

Medicaid is a state-administered program that covers the medical expenses of individuals with low income. With the passage of the Obamacare Act, the minimum eligibility for Medicaid has been set at 133% of the federal poverty level. While most individuals would rejoice at the approval of this Act, it can prove to be quite challenging for healthcare providers.

Understanding the Importance of Revenue Cycle Management

Simply put, Revenue Cycle Management allows hospitals and other medical establishments to ensure the timely collection of payment from individuals and insurance providers. In order for this to happen, RCM makes use of a number of tools in the form of software applications in order to retrieve and analyze data as well as check for eligibility for medicaid and other coverages.

What Healthcare Providers Should Know About Medicaid Eligibility?

Millions of Americans are eligible for Medicaid because of The Affordable Care Act. States are required to cover people that meet the Medicaid eligibility definition. Some states are refusing to expand their programs to poor Americans between the ages of 19 to 64. On the other hand, healthcare providers are welcoming the new law. This new law increases revenues for providers because millions of uninsured Americans are getting access to healthcare services.

Eligibility for Medicaid: Benefiting Immigrants

According to an Examiner article published November, 2014, U.S. immigrants and their children account for 40% of Medicaid recipients, amounting to $4.6 billion.The figure is mainly attributed to the fact that a significant portion of admitted immigrants are in the low-income group, and could not afford insurance.

Senior Medicaid Eligibility and Long Term Care

Need financial assistance for nursing home or assisted living services? Medicaid can provide you with the needed finances through its Long Term Care program, designed for low-income seniors with limited assets other than the home they own. It can pay for almost all of your care needs, provided you are qualified.

Get Your Children Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP

Lack of healthcare coverage often means that primary care is an out-of-reach luxury. Yet primary care plays an important role in an individual’s health, as it helps prevent or treat illnesses before they turn serious. For parents in low-income families, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are  viable ways to provide their children with comprehensive and affordable health coverage, especially when they can’t afford coverage on their own or do not receive health benefits from their jobs. 

Whether you’re just starting or are looking to improve your child’s existing coverage, here are some tips for Medicaid and CHIP enrollment that you can use:

Learn Your State’s Specifics

Familiarize yourself with your state’s particular enrollment steps. Every state provides health coverage for most low-income children, however, enrollment procedures, eligibility requirements, and cost-sharing rules will vary across the country.

Consult groups with Direct Medicaid and CHIP Knowledge

Get in touch with groups with whom you regularly work with and reach out to other groups as well. This includes community organizations, clinics, ministers, school personnel, elected officials etc.—anyone who has contact or influence in the lives of families and who will have an interest in enrolling children in health coverage.

You can apply for these programs any time of the year, and if you qualify, your coverage can begin immediately.

Presumptive Eligibility for Medicaid Patients

What if someone in your family needs immediate medical care and your healthcare insurance application is still pending? There’s still a way that your loved one can benefit from quality Medicaid or CHIP services even though his or her application for healthcare insurance hasn’t yet been fully processed. This is possible through presumptive eligibility, a policy option that was implemented beginning of last year.

Connecting Healthcare Providers and Patients

Care facilities depend on revenue cycle management solutions to save them money while they collect what’s owed to them for care provided. There are, however, services which go above and beyond these solutions to ensure proper care for the patient and financial compensation for the provider alike.

Making the Medicaid Cut

Medicaid is seen as a backstop for individuals or families who have inadequate support for healthcare. Health centers, however, need to determine who can take advantage of it and those who cannot; as such, the onus is on you to determine your eligibility for Medicaid. 

Prime Selection 

Medicaid program rules, in general, note that potential beneficiaries must have a monthly income between $2,000 and $3,000. The total value of their assets should be somewhere between $2,000 and $15,000; however, this value does not account for the house, personal items, or a car, among others. A couple applying for Medicaid must have a total asset value of no more than $101,540.

Requirements for Medicaid Eligibility

Through the decades, Medicaid has provided health coverage to millions of Americans across all states. Jointly funded by the federal government and the individual state, it covers adults with low income, the elderly, pregnant women, persons with disabilities, and children. However, to be eligible for Medicaid, one must first meet general and financial requirements.

General Requirements

To be eligible for Medicaid, you must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of the state where you are applying. You must also have a Social Security number. Additionally, you must either be 65 years of age or older, pregnant, blind, or permanently disabled according to the definition of the Social Security Administration. Children, or their parents or guardian, may also be covered by Medicaid.