Medicaid & Medicare
Medicaid
Medicaid is a health insurance program jointly administered and funded by the federal and state government. It provides health care services for eligible, low-income individuals. People qualify for Medicaid by meeting set financial standards and by fitting into a specific covered group such as children, pregnant women, or individuals who are elderly or who have disabilities. The Virginia Medicaid program is administered by the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services⇒.
Medicaid eligibility is extremely complex. Applicants may contact their local department of social services or visit the Virginia Department of Social Services⇒ to obtain information about Medicaid eligibility.
Medicaid eligibility is determined on an individual, case-by-case basis. Financial requirements include an evaluation of income and resources (assets). Non-financial requirements include Virginia residency, proof of citizenship, and meeting the required level of care for long-term care services.
Medicaid Services
Medicaid provides a full range of benefits to eligible individuals, including, but not limited to, inpatient and outpatient hospital and clinic services, emergency hospital services, laboratory and x-ray services, physician services, home health services, prescription drugs, home- and community-based long-term care services, nursing facility care, non-emergency transportation, and payment of Medicare premiums.
Applying for Medicaid
You can apply for Medicaid at any time, but most people choose to do so when they have problems paying for care. If other Medicaid program requirements are met, then the exhaustion of Partnership Policy benefits is not required in order to qualify for Medicaid.
Applications for Medicaid can be made at the local Department of Social Services (in the city or county where the applicant lived before needing long-term care services). Applicants should be sure to mention that they are in need of long-term care services since eligibility rules are different for individuals needing long-term care services.
Applications can be obtained online or by contacting your local department of social services. Applying for Medicaid does not need to be done in person and a face-to-face interview is not required. Applications, however, should be filed at your local department of social services. More information is available from the Virginia Department of Social Services⇒.
Medicare
Medicare was not designed to cover long-term care. It is generally available for people with disabilities and for people over age 65. Medicare pays limited amounts for skilled care following a hospital stay, and it is not intended to cover care that assists people with activities of daily living for long periods of time (long-term care).
Medicare covers the first 100 days of skilled care in a nursing home after a hospital stay of at least 3 days and as long as you enter a nursing home within 30 days of leaving the hospital. Medicare covers some home health care for the treatment of an illness or injury.
Read more about Medicare online⇒.