Medicaid and Long-Term Care Services and Support

Medicaid is the nation’s major public health coverage program designed to address the acute and long term care needs of millions of low income Americans of all ages. Many of the critical care needs are not covered by Medicare or private insurance. Over 10 million Americans over 5% of the total adult population need long-term services and support services to assist them with their activities of daily living. The majorities of individuals who receive long-term care services are age 65 and above while 42 percent are under age 65. (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid Facts, Feb.2010)

Learn about Benefits and Enrollment:

Rarely do seniors or family members learn about Medicaid benefits till a crisis have accrued or they are in a crisis. A hospital social worker may mention it or the admitting director of a facility asks questions about your ability to pay for services and care. Most seniors and families have a hard time understanding the application process. Getting the application and having to write down all their personal information is intimidating. Not knowing how to complete the applications what information to put where who do I return it to, then how long do I have to wait to hear from someone about the results. The process is almost as traumatizing as surgery and waiting for test results from a doctor. This is adding additional stress to an already stressful situation. Most seniors and family avoid the application process completely or say they will do it tomorrow and then just give up.

Eligibility Requirement:

Misunderstanding the eligibility requirements is one of the biggest barriers in applying. Believing that ONLY low income people qualify for Medicaid and reluctance to ask for help is a reflection of an early time when seniors took care of themselves and did not look for a “handout”. Medicaid is intended to assist low-income individuals and is not available to everyone who needs long term care service. Yes, you have to qualify.

Financial Need:

Each Medicaid program has a financial guideline, for most it is the annual income poverty level (the amount is posted around February of each new year) which determines the base line for income and an asset limit that is between $2,000 and $3,000 per individual and allows much more for married couples living in the community. One piece that most applications fail to provide when applying is the ability to prove that you have medical bills.

Meeting the Needs Criteria:

What? Needs criteria is simply that you can no longer care for your self at home, ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living). Which for most is an assessment called a DON screen (determination of needs) which is preformed by the state agency (in Illinois it’s the Department on Aging Case Coordination Unit or CCU).

Can Someone Help Me?

Yes, I can help. I have over 20 years of Medicaid experience and I assist with the filling of your Medicaid application. Please do not wait call me or email me and we can discuss your needs or the needs of your loved one.

SERVICES

Screening Assessment
Risk Management
Care Planning
Implementing Care Plan and Service Arrangements
Monitoring/Evaluating
Advocating

WHO I SERVE

Aged
People with disabilities and mental health issues
Court systems
People with chronic health conditions
At risk populations
All ages

MEDICAID

Misunderstanding the eligibility requirements is one of the biggest barriers in applying.

Yes, I can help. I have over 20 years of Medicaid experience and I assist with the filling of your Medicaid application.

Please do not wait call me or email me and we can discuss your needs or the needs of your loved one.