Can I have MedicAid as my second insurance?

January 25, 2014 8:15 PM

Hi all! Thank you for your time. I enrolled in a private insurance plan through a different state because my state (Oregon) messed up my medicaid enrollment and are still struggling to enroll me. I have two questions: 1. Can I have medicaid as a second insurance or primary insurance and also be on a private one? (I qualify for medicaid) 2. Is there anything I can do to speed up Cover Oregon's enrollment of me? My doctor suggested emailing the news, and I did that, but with no luck. Thanks!
posted by Kombucha3452 to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Medicaid in my state, I believe, will not pay if you have other insurance or if other insurance is even available to you at no cost. But if your state works similarly, why wouldn't you just cancel the other coverage when you get a chance? Unfortunately, it's slow going everywhere. I'm working on enrolling in mine since my income dropped below the cutoff, but calling the state hotline here... well, they've put in a system that calls you back when your number comes up. It can be *days* before you get a call back, right now, and too bad if you don't get to the phone in time. They're just swamped and they don't have the staffing to cover things at the moment.

The government was never fast; for a few months they're likely to be worse than usual. The mandate doesn't kick in if you're at a Medicaid-eligible income level, so you could just cancel the other coverage now if you really can't afford it. Otherwise, it's just a matter of being patient. Believe me, I feel you.
posted by Sequence at 9:14 PM on January 25, 2014

Call your state legislator. When I had problems with the exchange, my representative cleared stuff up for me in a hurry.
posted by KathrynT at 11:07 PM on January 25, 2014

Yes, Medicaid can be your secondary insurance. If you have private health insurance, Medicaid will always be considered secondary ("payer of last resort").
posted by Snerd at 5:42 AM on January 26, 2014

It depends on the state. In IL you cannot have medicaid and another insurance. If you can afford the other insurance I'd compare coverage before dropping it. Medicaids coverage and ability to find doctors varies greatly for outpatient care.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:47 AM on January 26, 2014

Yes, Medicaid can be your secondary insurance.

But yes, in states where having private insurance does not disqualify you for Medicaid, Medicaid will be the payer of last resort (for Medicare the coordination of benefits varies as to certain situations - working vs. retired, why you qualify for Medicare, etc).
posted by Pax at 5:55 AM on January 27, 2014