The remainder of this book focuses on long-term care Medicaid. Long-term care refers to a wide range of supportive and health services for persons who have lost the capacity for self-care due to illness, frailty, or a disabling condition. It differs from acute care in that the goal of long-term care is not to cure […]
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States may extend Medicaid to certain individuals with incomes too high to qualify for SSI, and who are eligible for nursing facility or other institutional care. Under the special income rule, also referred to as “the 300 percent rule,” such persons must (1) require care provided by a nursing home or other medical institution for […]
The enactment of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (OBRA 86) offered States an option for covering persons whose income exceeds SSI or 209(b) levels. (CRS Report, How Medicaid Works: Program Basics, January 4, 2006). This option allows States to cover aged and disabled individuals with incomes up to 100 percent of FPL. In […]
Many States provide SSP benefits with State-only dollars on a monthly basis. These payments are intended to cover such items as food, shelter, clothing, utilities, and other daily necessities. The amount of the benefit is determined by the individual States. States may provide supplemental payments to all persons who receive SSI, and/or to individuals who […]
With one important exception, States are required to provide Medicaid coverage to recipients of SSI. SSI, authorized under Title XVI of the Social Security Act, is a means-tested cash assistance program for aged, blind, and disabled individuals whose income falls below the Federal maximum monthly SSI benefit and whose resources are limited. To qualify for […]
The Federal Medicaid statute defines over 50 distinct population groups as being potentially eligible for States’ programs. Some groups (classes of assistance) are mandatory, meaning that all States that participate in the Medicaid program must cover them; others are optional. Prior to the 1980s, Medicaid eligibility was limited to very low-income families with dependent children, […]
Medicaid was enacted in 1965, in the same legislation that created the Medicare program, the Social Security amendments of 1965 (P.L. 89-97). [Note 2]. A history of Medicaid’s evoluation is recounted in Wilbur Cohen’s article Reflections on the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid. “The program is designed to provide medical assistance to persons whose income […]
The Medicare program (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act) provides hospital insurance (HI), also known as Part A coverage, and supplementary medical insurance (SMI), also known as Part B coverage. Free HI coverage (a/k/a Premium-free Part A) is automatic for persons with insured status (those eligible for Social Security benefits) aged 65 and older […]