Social Security Disability: The Basics of Medicaid Eligibility

If you are awarded Social Security disability benefits, it is important to know that you may be eligible for health insurance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. However, these two programs have different eligibility requirements. This blog post will focus on the basics of Medicaid eligibility. To start, Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that gives health coverage to people with limited financial income and resources. All states have different specific requirements as far as who is eligible for Medicaid. For example, in Minnesota to be eligible for Minnesota Medicaid, you must be a resident of the state of Minnesota, a United States citizen or legal alien, in need of health insurance assistance, whose financial situation would be characterized as low income or very low income, and you also must be one of the following: 1) pregnant, or; 2) be responsible for a child 18 years of age or younger, or; 2) blind, or; 3) have a disability or family member in your household with a disability, or; 4) be 65 years of age or older. To be eligible for the “low income” requirement you must have an annual household income (before taxes) that is below a specific amount. For example, for a household of 2 people, your income must be below $24,353 before taxes. This means those who are awarded Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits, will likely be eligible for Medicaid. In many states, if you are receiving SSI disability benefits, you may be automatically eligible for Medicaid. This would mean your application for SSI is also an application for Medicaid and you would not need to fill out a Medicaid application. However, in other states, you must apply for and establish your eligibility for Medicaid separately. This would mean you would have to fill out a separate application to sign up for it. In a few states, SSI does not guarantee Medicaid eligibility, but most people who get SSI are eligible. Therefore, it is important to understand if you meet the eligibility requirements and/or need to apply for Medicaid in your state if you are also applying for or have been awarded for SSI disability benefits.