Every state has its own Medicaid program. Some states make it extremely easy for people to apply for Medicaid, while others seem to go out of their way to make things more difficult. A quick look at the websites for Medicaid in Alabama show that applying for Medicaid in Alabama is complex.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to provide health insurance coverage for individuals and families who are low-income and who cannot afford to purchase a health insurance plan from a private insurance company. Medicaid is funded, in part, by the federal government. It is also funded by the government of an individual state.
I’ve been blogging about the Medicaid programs for different states for quite some time now. Many make it very simple to apply for Medicaid. Others make it easy for people to learn about the eligibility requirements. Sadly, there are some states that appear to want to make it difficult for people to obtain Medicaid coverage. Alabama is among them.
Perhaps this shouldn’t surprise me. Alabama is also among the states that are not interested in creating their own health insurance exchange. There seems to be a correlation between having a Governor who is a Republican, a refusal to make a state health insurance exchange, and an interest in making it really difficult for people to apply for Medicaid.
In Alabama, there are several different application forms for Medicaid. Choose wisely! You must fill out the correct form and then return it to Medicaid in person, by mail, or online. (You cannot fax it in). If you have selected the wrong form, I suspect this would result in having to start the entire application process all over again. This will make it take even longer before a low-income person can receive health care coverage.
Form 291 is an application for pregnant women, families, and children under 19. Form 291 is also the name of the Spanish version of the exact same form. Form 291 is also the name of the online application for pregnant women, families, and children under 19. There are three separate links to Form 291.
A form confusingly named Form 204/205 is a Medicaid application for the elderly and disabled. A form with the exact same name is an application for Medicaid in a hospital, nursing home, or ICF/MR. There are two entirely separate links for this form that has the same exact number attached to it.
Need Medicaid to cover birth control or family planning? You could try Form 357, which is the application for birth control and family planning services for women at 19 – 55 who have no children. Or, you could try Form 291, which is the application for birth control and family planning services for women age 19 – 55 who have children under 19. This Form 291 is attached to an entirely new link.
Several other states encourage people to apply for Medicaid, even if they think they are not eligible. They require just one form, and the state sorts out from there which program would best help the applicant. I’m not sure why Alabama chose to make things so complex.
Image by jimmiehomeschoolmom on Flickr