All states have a Medicaid program. Not every state is considerate enough to make it easy to find out important information about their Medicaid program. However, Missouri has done an excellent job of making it very simple for people to find out vital information. It is all right there, on their website.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to provide affordable health insurance coverage for individuals and families who are unable to afford to buy health insurance from a private insurance company. Medicaid is funding by both the federal government and by the government of an individual state.
In Missouri, the Medicaid program is administered by the Missouri Department of Social Services. It falls under their MO HealthNet Division. The MO HealthNet Division is one of six agencies that report to the Missouri Department of Social Services. According to the website:
“The purpose of the MO HealthNet Division is to purchase and monitor health care services for low income and vulnerable citizens of the State of Missouri”.
The Medicaid program in Missouri has several different divisions. Each one is designed to provide for a specific group of people. According to the MO HealthNet website, (on the portion that talks about Medical Services):
“MO HealthNet coverage is automatically available to all recipients of MO HealthNet, Nursing Care, Home and Community-based Services, Supplemental Aid to the Blind, Blind Pension, and Adult Supplemental Payments”. This means that if a person is enrolled in any of those programs that the person will also automatically receive MO HealthNet coverage as well. Eligible persons will receive a “MO HealthNet Identification Card”.
If an eligible person has other medical insurance, (such as coverage through a private plan), that plan will be billed before Medicaid is billed. A person who is eligible for Medicaid in Missouri might have to pay deductibles and co-insurance on items that are not covered by Medicare. A person could either get a “fee for service” arrangement, or could get benefits through a managed care plan.
There is a huge list of Medical Care Services Provided. Each service is subject to certain limitations, and coverage might depend on which portion of the Missouri Medicaid program a person is covered by. A few of the covered items include: inpatient hospital care, outpatient hospital care, dental services, prescription medications, labs and x-rays, family planning services, services provided at a Federally Qualified Health Center, and much more!
Image by Jeff Kopp on Flickr