Medicaid is there to help the elderly all across the United states, but how it can help, and what it can do for you really varies from person to person. That can make the system seem somewhat flawed, as well as extremely hard to manage since things are always changing. For that reason, you probably have a lot of questions as to just what Medicaid can do for you when it comes to coping with the cost of assisted living. There are not always easy answers, because Medicaid is a difficult system. But there are plenty of answers out there to most questions.
1) Starting off, who qualifies for Medicaid in the first place?
The starting qualification for Medicaid is always going to be, being over the age of 65. That means in order for you to even be considered for the program in your local state, you have to be of age. However, there are also other types of restrictions as well, both financial as well as physical. Sometimes the limitations or availability of Medicaid to those over the age of 65 is decided by the local state itself, so you’ll find that the regulations may have you approved somewhere in the nation, but unapproved somewhere else unfortunately.
2) What services does Medicaid cover?
In most cases Medicaid is just a bare bones plan meant to cover the cost of the things that you need the most when it comes to medical care. That means they will usually only cover things like essential hospitalization, as well as essential medical operations or extended stays, or even outpatient care. But in many scenarios Medicaid will not pick up the cost of things like prescription drugs, and other such medical care. Those have to be paid out of pocket, or with the help of some sort of supplemental insurance plan as well.
3) What does Medicaid cover in terms of assisted living costs?
What you’re going to run into here are a few different problems. Number one being that just about no Medicaid program is going to cover the cost of room and board. That means the cost of the room, food, entertainment, etc is all going to have to be paid out of pocket. Unfortunately this can still make assisted living too expensive for some to pay for in many scenarios.
But what Medicaid will cover in some cases, are the costs of medical care associated with your stay. That means while you’re paying for the room as well as your food, you’ll be able to ensure that you can get things like pills as well as seeing a doctor or nurse totally paid for. That way, you don’t have to incur medical cost in addition to the physical cost of living there. While that’s not always the greatest trade off, it can still save you money in the long run.
4) Which facilities are covered under Medicaid?
Something else that you’re going to run into is that not all facilities are covered by Medicaid. In order to get help with your medical needs, you have to be living throughout Medicaid assisted living facilities. That means investigating the improved state areas that you can live, before actually signing up for any one facility. Medical assisted living is not cheap, and it’s something that Medicaid is careful about since it is state run and only has so much actual money for providing care to citizens.
5) Is a primary care physician required for Medicaid assisted living facilities?
In most cases the most simple type of answer is yes. There is always required to be some sort of doctor sign off on your stay while you’re going to be getting any type of medical care. Medicaid is very specific about what they will and will not cover. So you have to have any sorts of medical care investigated and approved before you can make any type of decision as to if the care will be affordable. A lot of the time this can end up being harder and harder to facilitate unless you fall into the really low income brackets, which is a fundamental flaw of Medicaid.
For more information, there are plenty of resources about Medicaid assisted living, and what options you have at the government Medicaid site: http://www.cms.gov/home/medicaid.asp