Many states will let people apply for Medicaid online. Some require people to apply online. Arkansas, on the other hand, makes people apply in person, (carrying a bunch of official documents). Clearly, the state of Arkansas wants to make it extremely difficult for people to apply for Medicaid.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to enable individuals and families who are low-income, and who cannot afford to purchase a health insurance plan from a private insurer, to be able to receive the health care they need. Medicaid is funded in part by the federal government, and in part by the government of an individual state.
Many states allow people to apply for Medicaid online. This makes the application process much faster. It makes it easier for people who have cancer, who are disabled, or who are pregnant, to apply without having to leave their homes. Arkansas, on the other hand, makes it incredibly difficult for a person to apply for Medicaid.
In Arkansas, a person must apply for Medicaid in person. It is possible to print out a Medicaid Application Form from the state’s website. However, the person would still have to travel to a Department of Human Services (DHS) office that is located in the county that the person lives in to begin the application process.
The person must bring proof of age with them. This could be a birth certificate, driver’s license, or a birth record from a hospital. The person also must bring his or her Social Security Card. A person is also required to bring information about all of their insurance policies, including other health insurance policies.
The state of Arkansas also wants people to bring proof of their income. This requires paycheck stubs “for everyone in your household who has a job”, bank books “or other papers that show the amount of money or property you own”, and letters or forms from Social Security, SSI, Veteran’s Administration, or other sources that show the amount of your income.
In 2014, the health insurance exchanges (that are part of the Affordable Care Act) will be ready. People who use the exchanges, and who qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, will be able to automatically sign up for it. Arkansas won’t be able to make things so incredibly difficult forever. (Of course, if Mitt Romney becomes President, his running mate, Paul Ryan, intends to decimate Medicaid. If that happens, then things will get a lot harder for low-income people across the nation.)
Some people who qualify for Medicaid in Arkansas will be able to receive full benefits. For that to happen, a person must fit into one of several specific groups. That isn’t a guarantee, though. “It depends on how much money you make, how much property you own, your age, and your situation”.
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