At the end of 2006, the resident population of the United States was approximately 300 million. Roughly 250 million people had some form of health insurance. The operative word is roughly. People obtain health insurance from a variety of sources. Many of them have access to and sometimes coverage from more than one source. Moreover, they may not have coverage for the entire year, and there is no single repository of data on who has what sort of coverage over what period of time. Thus, a person living in a two-earner household may have coverage from both workers, from only one, or from neither. A retiree may have Elderly Medicare coverage and a private supplemental policy. (more…)

Coverage

Medicaid coverage is broader than Medicare. However, obtaining care can sometimes be more difficult. Medicaid covers prescriptions, nursing home care, home health care, doctor visits, and hospitalization. Some state plans also cover dental care, eye care, hospice care, and therapy. Contact your local agency on aging for information about your state plan. (more…)

Medicaid eligibility requirement is determined by looking at a person’s income and assets. When considering eligibility, certain personal assets are considered exempt and are therefore not included in the calculation of a person’s income. Such exempt assets include a person’s: home, wedding rings, burial plot, car, personal and household belongings (up to about $2000), and life insurance policies with a total cash value under $5000. (more…)

Because Medicaid is designed to provide coverage for people with low incomes, there are medicaid rules in place to make sure people do not just give away their assets to become eligible. If these rules did not exist, even a millionaire could transfer all of his or her assets to a relative today and become eligible for Medicaid tomorrow. (more…)