What Do You Need To Know?
The Minnesota Medicaid program is a basic health-care and medical program provided to low-income families residing in Minnesota. The program is jointly funded by the federal and the state government. They are responsible for creating funds to cover the cost of the program.
The Minnesota Medicaid program provides health care services to more than 1.1 million families in the state. This makes the Minnesota Medicaid program the state’s largest state-funded program.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services administers the Medicaid program in the state. The department is responsible for creating guidelines and policies for the program. The goal of the program is to make medical services accessible to underprivileged families of Minnesota.
The people who are eligible to apply for the Minnesota Medicaid program are,
- Children
- Pregnant women
- Parents
- Guardians/caretaker relatives
- Senior citizens
- Parents with no dependent kids
- Disabled people (blind etc.)
What are the Program Services?
The following are the services that the Minnesota Medicaid provide
- Eye care services which include providing eye check-up and eyeglasses
- Dental services which include dental check-up and dental hygiene which include teeth cleaning every 6 months for individuals who are younger than 21 years of age.
- Family planning services
- Medical check-ups
- Auditory services
- Laboratory services and X-rays
- Maternity services
- Child-care and home health care services that are occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy and skilled nursing
- Drug prescriptions
However, it is important to keep in mind that not all households that qualify for the Minnesota Medicaid will get free services. Some might have to pay some part of the payment for the medical services including co-pays, deductibles, or spend downs.
Are You Eligible?
There are certain eligibility criteria that an applicant must fulfill to be able to qualify for the Minnesota Medicaid program.
- The applicant needs to be a legal and permanent citizen of the United States of America
- The applicant needs to be a residence of the state of Minnesota
- The financial situation of the applicant must fall under the low-income level to apply for the Medicaid program
- The applicant is pregnant or has a pregnant woman in the household
- The applicant is blind, have a disability or a family member in the household with a disability
- The applicant must be responsible for children under 19 years of age or be 65 years of age or older.
The agencies that look into the Minnesota Medicaid program consider certain factors to check if the candidate’s eligibility is justified like,
- Assets/Resources ( bonds, funds, property, credit union accounts, etc) of the candidate
- Size of the household of the candidate
- Total income of the household per annum before taxes of the candidate
- Age of the candidate
- Medical requirements of the candidate
The maximum gross income level of the household before taxes must be equal to or less than,
| Size of Household | Annual Gross Income Level |
| 1 | 16612 |
| 2 | 22491 |
| 3 | 28369 |
| 4 | 34248 |
| 5 | 40127 |
| 6 | 46005 |
| 7 | 51884 |
| 8 | 57762 |
An amount of $5878 is added per person if the total size of the household is more than 8 members. Therefore, it is important to visit a managing agency in your area to help you get your hands on the latest and up-to-date information and program guidelines. This will help you understand the terms and policies of the Minnesota Medicaid program and help make the application process easy.
It should be noted that a pregnant woman is considered as two members. In case the applicant is a senior citizen, the income level may change hence, it is important to go through the guidelines to get a better picture of the program’s eligibility requirements. In some cases, the applicant may qualify for the Minnesota Medicaid program if their income is above the required income level.
How To Apply?
The application process for Minnesota Medicaid is simple and uncomplicated. The application form is available online or you can collect them in person from your local Medicaid office. To access the online form you can visit the official Minnesota Medicaid website. You can find in-detailed information related to the program on the website.
In case of further queries about the application process and the eligibility criteria, you can visit the Minnesota official Marketplace for health insurance benefits in the state. The marketplace was established to ensure health insurance to the maximum number of people of the U.S. It also makes sure that the citizens can afford healthcare and live a healthy and safe life and to alleviate health inequalities in the state. The marketplace provides complete information and meets the needs of the Federal Affordable Care Act. You can also find detailed information related to the Affordable Care Act here.
For Further Information
The Medical Assistance website can help you better understand the program including the qualifications requirements and application process.
To know more about the Medicaid program in Minnesota and its current policies please visit the Medicaid & CHIP Policies website. Here you will be provided with the most up-to-date information to ease the whole process for you.