Medicaid is a public insurance program that every state has. Individual states can simply call their program Medicaid, or, can change the name to something that better suits them. In Kansas, the Medicaid program is also called HealthWave.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to help people who are low-income to receive health insurance coverage. The funding for Medicaid comes from both the federal government and the government of an individual state. In Kansas, the Medicaid program is called HealthWave. It is administered by the Department of Health and Environment.
HealthWave combines the Kansas Medicaid Managed Care and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) into one, seamless, managed care option for families.
Children who are under the age of 19 might be eligible for HealthWave. The child must also be a Kansas resident, and a United States citizen or qualifying alien. Verification of citizenship and identity is required in order to be eligible for this program. There are income requirements, too. The child must be from a family whose income is 232% of the federal poverty level.
Adults who have dependent children can also be eligible for HealthWave. There must be children under the age of 19 living in the household. The program can cover children and their parents who live together. Again, you must be a Kansas resident, and a citizen of the United States, to qualify. A family of four, who has countable income of less than $471 per month, might qualify.
Kansas also has HealthWave programs that cover people who are age 65 or older, and also for people who have a disability (that meet Social Security’s disability rules). People who receive Social Security Income may be eligible for HealthWave to help them meet the basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
There is a Working Healthy program for people who are disabled and who want to be able to work while receiving Medicaid benefits. Pregnant women, who meet the eligibility and income requirements, may be able to use HealthWave, too.
Kansas, like Utah, also has a Medically Needy or “Spenddown” Medicaid program. It is for people who are elderly, disabled, pregnant, or are a child under the age of 19. A single person must have less than $2,000 in assets. A married couple must have less than $3,000 in assets to qualify.
The “Spenddown” program works like an insurance deductible. In short, a person must first pay a certain amount of money on medical bills before Medicaid will help pay for those bills. Any person who has an income over $475 will have a “Spenddown”.
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