There is a Medicaid program in every state. Specific coverage and eligibility will vary from one state to the next. Here are some important things to know about the Medicaid program in New Jersey.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance coverage. It is designed to cover individuals and families who are low income and who cannot afford to buy a health plan from a private insurance company. Medicaid gets some of its funding from the federal government. It also is funded by the government of an individual state.
In New Jersey, Medicaid is administered by the State of New Jersey Department of Human Services Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services. The state’s website has made it easy to find out the basic eligibility requirements for Medicaid.
To qualify, a person must be a child, a parent or caretaker of a dependent child, a woman who is pregnant, or a person who is “aged, blind or disabled”. The person must be a resident of New Jersey. He or she must be a United States citizen, or a qualified alien.
The websites notes that most immigrants who arrive after August 22, 1996, are barred from Medicaid for five years. However, some might be eligible for NJ Family Care or certain programs for pregnant women.
Adults who are under the age of 65, who are not permanently disabled, who are not blind, who are not pregnant, and who are not the parent of a dependent child cannot qualify for Medicaid in New Jersey. There is a federal grant that allows states to expand their Medicaid programs to cover this group.
Governor Chris Christie chose not to expand Medicaid in his state. Instead, he chose to “play politics” and leave many of the citizens of New Jersey without the ability to afford health care. It is his way of emphasizing that he is personally opposed to the Affordable Care Act.
There are several mandatory services that the New Jersey Medicaid program will provide. The implications is that the state would choose not to cover these services if it were allowed to do so. The services are: inpatient and outpatient hospital treatment, lab tests and x-rays, early periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment services, home health care, physician services, nurse-midwife services, assistance with family planning and any necessary supplies and nursing facilities for people over 21.
All other health care treatments and services are listed as “optional” on the New Jersey Medicaid website. The program might, or might not, chose to cover a long list of things, including dental care, optical appointments, psychologist, inpatient psychiatric care for individuals under 21 and over 65, and more.
Also included under optional care is “intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded”. It is shocking that New Jersey is still using the r-word on official state websites!
Image by Normal B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL on Flickr