Every state has a Medicaid program. A portion of that program is designed to cover the health care needs of low-income women who are pregnant or are seeking family planning services. In Alabama, it is called Plan First.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, health insurance program. It is designed to cover low-income individuals and families who cannot afford to purchase health insurance coverage from a private health insurance company. Medicaid is funded, in part, by the federal government. Medicaid is also funded by the government of an individual state.
In Alabama, the Medicaid program is administered by the Alabama Medicaid Agency. There are several, separate, forms that must be filled out in order for a person to apply for Medicaid, or for a portion of the Medicaid program.
Alabama has a Plan First program. It is a family planning program for women who are between the ages of 19 and 55. It covers family planning services, only. It will not cover vasectomies, and it does not cover pain medication after a tubal ligation.
Plan First covers a yearly family planning exam. It provides care support from a social worker or nurse. It provides some types of birth control for free. (Some of which include pills and Depo Provera shots). It will cover the cost of having tubes tied for women who are age 21 or older. It covers lab work (such as pregnancy testing and lab work for STDs). It also provides help in planning when to have a baby.
In order to be eligible for Plan First, a woman must live in Alabama. She must be a United States citizen, (or must be in the United States legally). She must also be between the ages of 19 and 55. Women who have had surgery to prevent pregnancy cannot be eligible for Plan First. There are income limitations that must be met.
Women applying for Plan First must provide proof of identity. This can include a driver’s license. She also must provide proof of citizenship, (such as a birth certificate). Most women who are covered by SOBRA Medicaid, or who have children who are covered by SOBRA Medicaid, will automatically be enrolled into Plan First.
SOBRA provides Medicaid coverage as early as three months before the Medicaid application was sent, if medical services were received and all eligibility requirements were met. It provides pregnancy-related services, post partum services, and family planning. Coverage ends the last day of the month of the sixtieth post partum day.
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