Medicaid Eligibility

The qualifications for Medicaid eligibility vary from state to state and from county to county. An attorney who understands Medicaid should be contacted before attempting to qualify for Medicaid coverage. In order to qualify, you typically need to meet the following requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen living in the U.S.
• Be over 65, disabled or blind
• Have a "medical necessity" requiring skilled nursing care
• Medical and nursing home expenses exceed income
• Meet the income cap - the applicant cannot make more than $1,635 (2002) per month in income
• Have limited assets (usually less than $2,000, excluding a home). Special rules may also cover an applicant's assets and how they were used up to five years before an application to Medicaid is made.

Examples of assets are as follows:

• Checking/Savings Account
• Mutual Funds
• Stocks/Bonds
• Deferred Annuities
• Cash Value of most life insurance policies
• Revocable living trusts
• 401K/IRA's/Keoghs
• Burial Trusts beyond a minimum amount