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How much would it cost the average person to get a health care policy that's as good as Medicaid?

aquafortis — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:48:21 -0800

How much would it cost the average person to get a health care policy that's as good as Medicaid? I'm curious if anyone out there has any information on how much it would cost the average person to get a health care policy that's as good as Medicaid.

I know this is a complex question with lots of variables-- including how you define "good"-- so for the sake of the example, let's say we're talking about a self-employed single female in her thirties in excellent health with no kids who lives in New York looking to buy the same kind of coverage her low-income counterpart could expect from federal and state programs. Or maybe you know more about what it would cost a married couple with one income, insurance through work, and two kids living somewhere in the heartland. However you want to figure it, I think it's fascinating public policy issue worth talking about. All comments welcome!

Medicaid in Ohio?

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:45:55 -0800

Applying for Medicaid- question on "other people in the home who receive income?" The S.O. is applying for Medicaid in Ohio, mainly for the medical benefits - asking this anonymously to protect his privacy.

There is a section on the form that asks "Will you or the people in your home receive income this month?" In addition, it asks for the amount that anyone living in the home has in cash/checking/savings/bonds/gold bars, what have you.

To my mind, this makes no sense. I am not married to this person. I do help him out when I can, but I've had some rather pressing expenses of my own, so haven't been able to lately. Furthermore, how is this handled when people are just roommates? What does it matter what your roommate makes?

The gist of it is, I'm afraid my income may disqualify him, and I don't want that to happen. He doesn't need food stamps or cash benefits, just medical assistance.

Note : He works part time for a retail chain that has severely cut back hours, and never provides insurance. Yes, he is actively looking for a better position.

Medicaid Discrimination?

Maias — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:13:29 -0800

HealthInsurance Filter: If a friend goes on Medicaid in dire financial straits, will insurers be able to discriminate against her later? A friend hit serious financial problems due to an injury. Currently has good insurance, but can't afford it much longer and is waiting to be approved for disability. If she goes on Medicaid and then recovers, will her attempts to get health insurance be forever scarred by having done so? I didn't think it was legal to discriminate based on previously having been on Medicaid (obviously, they can deny pre-existing condition coverage but that's true no matter what insurance you switch to or from). Anyone know? Is this illegal but done anyway? Any idea where to find out?

Medi-Cal and Home Asset Transfer

@troy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:23:00 -0800

Medi-Cal and Asset Transfers My divorced mother aged 65+ has been on Medi-Cal via SSI/SSP eligibility, but is losing that due to the SSP cutback coming next month. Assuming she re-qualifies for full-spectrum Medi-Cal coverage through the Aged & Disabled FPL qualification (which she should if I'm reading it right), what are the rules about transferring the title to her paid-off house to me?

Would tranferring the house make her lose *all* Medi-Cal benefits or just the Long Term Care Assistance coverage? Mr Google is unclear on this point.

She should not require going to a care home for the foreseeable future, likely longer than the lookback period but I can move in to help if need be.

(I also see that if I do this for two years immediately prior to her going to a care facility then there's no issue with transferring the home)

never trust anyone with bad teeth

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:35:26 -0800

I have a carny mouth. Should I get dental insurance before I decide to take care of it? No pain, but several cavities and a few teeth (including two wisdom teeth) have been rotting and falling apart for several years. 4-6 years ago, a dental school said that it would cost 4-5 thousand dollars and take 3-4 visits to fix. That doesn't include getting them whitened or anything cosmetic. Today, one of my molars broke in half and I swallowed it with some wasabi trail mix. That tooth only had a little speck of a cavity yesterday. I'm willing to wait another 6 months or whatever it takes IF IF IF insurance will make it so much less expensive that I can risk losing even more teeth. I am starting to fear that more teeth will fall apart if I wait too long.

I do brush my teeth and don't need to be lectured on prevention; please try to be sensitive. I had some mental problems in my youth, forgot about basic hygiene, and still haven't fixed the havoc it wrecked on my teeth, so the cavities keep getting worse and worse.

I am in Florida and have basic medicaid, but it only covers emergencies and might not even be good anymore. As I've had only minimal pain for the past few years, I've never bothered seeking treatment for emergencies. Recently, I did try calling all of the oral surgeons listed in my area, as I was directed to do, but found that none of them take medicaid anymore.

Any advice is welcome. I want to remain anonymous, but will try to answer questions through mathowie or jessamyn.

Thank you.

In the name of Michael Moore: No free clinics in Dallas?

Unicorn on the cob — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:51:37 -0800

Is there a free clinic in Dallas? Or any kind of reduced-payment medical facility, more specifically, for treating injuries vs. illness? I have of course Googled and called about 30 numbers that came up from Yahoo Answers and Free Medical Camps. I also called Parkland Hospital and even called 311 to ask the city directly. I pretty much got no answer; the numbers were old, or I was told to arrive at 7 a.m. after filling out loads of unemployment paperwork and even then, no guarantee that Parkland could see anyone for up to 24 hours. Is there ANY place to go without being billed later for a huge emergency room fee? If Parkland is the only option, can the bill be covered by Medicare or Medicaid if the injured/sick party is unemployed? I'm hoping for first-hand experiences or medical personnel who might have an inside track on this. Thanks in advance!

I have $50K from insurance proceeds but I'm on SSI/Medicaid, what should I do??

pikaboy202 — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:23:13 -0800

What can I do to continue recieivng SSI and Medicaid benefits if I received a lump sum insurance proceeds? I know someone who's elderly and disabled. She is receiving SSI benefits and is on Medicaid. Recently, her husband was involved in an auto accident and he died. The other person involved was wrong and their insurance company paid out a wrongful death benefit to the wife in the amount of $50K.

She has the check but hasn't cashed it yet because she's afraid that it'll make her lose her SSI and/or Medicaid benefits.

I know of 2 options: spend down the money or put it into a "pooled trust." I know the drawbacks of a pooled trust is that you have no control over the dispursement of funds and also, after the death of the wife, the funds are used to payback medicaid.

My questions to the hive are:
1. If she spends down, what would be the best ways to spend down the funds? What should she do with the money to maximize usage (either for her or her beneficiaries when she dies) and also not jeopardize her SSI or medicaid benefits?

2. Would the pooled trust be a better option?

3. Are there any other ingenious ways to shield the $50K?

Medicaid coverage amount?

gottabefunky — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:27:25 -0800

How can I find out how much the standard Medicaid coverage is for a certain surgical procedure? I was having dinner the other night with some friends, complaining about how expensive my recent outpatient surgery was, and a guy at the next table said he worked in medical insurance.

His advice was to offer the hospital the standard Medicaid coverage amount for the procedure - undoubtedly less than they initially charged - and that 9 times out of 10 they'll be happy with that amount.

But I'm having a tough time finding out how much that amount is. (I've already paid the surgeon and the anesthesiologist.)

Help me help my grandparents help my mother

cilantro — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:15:40 -0800

Six months ago, my 50-year-old mother had a serious stroke, and the nursing home that she's in now considers her recovered enough to move on to an assisted living or daily home health care situation. I'm trying to help my 75-year-old grandparents figure out what to do. My mother and I are permanently estranged, and I'm not in a situation to help financially, so I want to at least do what I can to help the grandparents who raised me to find a place for her. Right now, they think their only option is to take care of her at home, but I know and I think they know that it won't work. The drug and alcohol addiction that indirectly led to her stroke is still evident, she begs for additional pain medication (loritabs) and threw a tantrum when a nurse mentioned that the doctor was probably going to start cutting back on the dosage. She is still seriously impaired in her speech and motor skills and requires physical help that my grandparents won't be able to provide for any real length of time, in spite of the fact that they are very healthy and active. From what I've read, Medicaid doesn't cover home health care or assisted living in Tennessee or Kentucky (they live about ten miles on the TN side from the border of those states). Where on earth do we start looking for ways to find this kind of care in other states, preferably states that aren't too far away? Is it even possible to move someone into another state for the sole purpose of taking advantage of their health care services? I've poked around on Google and it's hard to find anything that clearly explains the issues surrounding this. Information, links to information, and general ideas or advice from anyone with any experience with these issues will be greatly appreciated.

Is a Radiologist Required Under Medicaid?

whitebird — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 09:37:12 -0800

Is a radiologist required to be in the office during an MRI, according to Medicaid regulations? According to the Medicare National Coverage Determinations Manual, in a hospital setting for a CT scan, you need a "radiologist or other qualified physician...in charge of the procedure," while for a non-hospital health care facility, "the diagnostic procedure must be performed by or under the direct personal supervision of a radiologist or other qualified physician." Do the same rules apply to MRI? Bonus points given for a link to specific Medicaid/Medicare regulations applicable.

How to deliver a baby in the US without health insurance?

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 12:06:57 -0800

Having no health insurance, how can we possibly afford to pay for the delivery of our coming child? How do freelance/self-employed American families survive without health insurance? Anyone have any experience with Medicaid? My wife and I recently returned to the US after many years abroad and we've just discovered she is pregnant. Neither of us have health insurance yet as we are both (low-paid) freelance writers. We know little about health insurance as neither of us have had to deal with this issue before. How can we possibly afford to pay for the delivery of the child and the child's health care? What options do we have? Would we qualify for Medicaid? Is the care you get on Medicaid reasonable? What do other freelancers/self employed people do for insurance? Sorry for the laundry-list of questions, but I'm worried.