There are many different Medicaid benefits that you can become eligible for if you are able to qualify for Medicaid coverage. Medicaid provides you with some of the most comprehensive coverage possible, offering coverage for things that other health insurance programs including Medicare do not cover. It is important to understand how Medicaid works, and to determine if you can qualify for coverage if you should come to need the benefits that Medicaid provides. 
Mark S. Eghrari & Associates PLLC understands the rules for Medicaid benefits coverage. We can explain to you whether or not Medicaid will provide payment for the specific healthcare needs that you have. Our legal team will also go over the strict Medicaid eligibility rules with you and will assist you in trying to ensure that you are able to qualify for Medicaid coverage should it become necessary for you.
What Do Medicaid Benefits Cover?
Medicaid benefits can provide coverage for a wide variety of medical services that you need. For example, pregnant women who qualify for Medicaid will get prenatal coverage while Medicaid patients of any age will get cancer treatment covered. For most patients, Medicaid covers virtually every kind of care that is medically necessary given their age and their current health situation. In this way, Medicaid operates similarly to other insurance providers, with a few important differences.
The differences include the fact that you don’t have to pay Medicaid premiums, the co-pays for medical services are either small or non-existent, and you can sometimes get additional benefits paid for such as the costs of transportation to get to medical appointments. Another key difference, unfortunately, is that it can sometimes be hard to find doctors who will accept and treat new Medicaid patients since there are many doctors who won’t accept Medicaid due to low provider reimbursement rates.
Seniors also benefit from Medicaid coverage because Medicaid can help older people to afford co-insurance costs and the costs of deductibles from Medicare coverage. Medicare has gaps, and Medicaid can fill those in for low income elderly adults who are not able to get Medicare to cover the particular treatment they need or who are not able to pay for the costs that are associated with taking advantage of Medicare benefits.
Medicaid Benefits and Nursing Homes
While there are lots of different types of healthcare services that are covered by Medicaid, one of the most important Medicaid benefits is coverage for nursing home care. Nursing home care is not going to be paid for any other way, for most patients who need it, so Medicaid or spending your life savings are usually the only two choices that you have if you must go into a nursing home.
Medicare only pays for nursing home care if you require some type of skilled care for a limited time, like changing surgical bandages following a medical procedure you had to undergo. However, the time duration for which Medicare pays for coverage for nursing home care is really limited and the situations in which Medicare will pay are also limited. Private health insurance providers usually impose the same restrictions on nursing home care as Medicare does. If you have a need for routine care, this leaves you with no options but to pay for it personally or get Medicaid to pay for it.
Medicaid will pay for the full costs of the nursing home care you require, provided you qualify for this means-tested benefits program. Medicaid is one of the leading payers of nursing home care in the entire country, and for most seniors, the ability to get coverage for this essential care in a nursing home is invaluable. Because Medicaid is means tested with strict income limits and strict resource limits, it is essential to work with an experienced Medicaid planning attorney to make sure you can get covered if needed.
Getting Help from A Medicaid Planning Lawyer
Mark S. Eghrari & Associates PLLC knows the ins-and-outs of Medicaid coverage rules and our legal team will help you to make certain that you can get the desired benefits when you require healthcare services.
You can download our estate planning checklist to find out more about the ways that Medicaid will provide for you and to discover the reasons that Medicaid planning should be an essential part of your estate planning process. You can also get assistance with Medicaid planning, with the Medicaid qualification process, and more. Give us a call at (631) 265-0599 or contact us online today to speak with a Medicaid planning lawyer who can provide the personalized assistance you need to get covered.
Mark S. Eghrari, Estate Planning Attorney
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