SLP 5 Medicaid_Health Care Finance - Essay Example

Medicaid Eligibility Requirements: California and Florida Medicaid is a federal health program that is administered by the s, and each sets its own eligibility guidelines. Medicaid pays the cost of health care, directly to the provider, for certain low income people, children, and families. Because each state administers the program individually, the requirements change from state to state as is seen by looking at Florida and California.In Florida, the eligibility for Medicaid depends on family size, family income, and age of the children.

The allowable family income is based on a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which in 2007 was $24,130 for a family of five (The 2007 HHS poverty level guidelines, 2008). For a family of five, the maximum allowable family income in Florida can not exceed 23.2 percent of the FPL (Family-related Medicaid programs fact sheet, 2007). Any family with 5 members must make less than $5,112 per year to qualify for Medicaid. A single adult would have to make less than $2,160 per year to be eligible for the program (Family-related Medicaid programs fact sheet, 2007).

California's state administered Medicaid program is known as Medi-Cal. To qualify for Medi-Cal, the recipient must be 65 years or older, blind, are younger than 65 and have a disability (Medicare information for Californians, 2008). The person's eligibility is based on income, and whether or not you qualify for certain federal disability programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). To be eligible, a single person must make less than approximately $12,000 per year, and a married couple must make less than $18,000 per year (Medicare information for Californians, 2008).

A key difference between California's and Florida's program is that California's program is designed to cover the elderly and disabled, while Florida's program is meant to cover the cost of children's health care. In fact, the eligibility requirements for children in Florida are much more liberal than for adults. As an example, in a family of 3, children under one year of age are covered under Florida's Medicaid program if the parents make less than $34,344 per year (Family-related Medicaid income & asset limit chart, 2007).

As the child gets older, the income level allowed decreases until the child turns eighteen when the family income can not exceed $17,172 (Family-related Medicaid income & asset limit chart, 2007). Again, these rates are tied to a percentage of the FPL.There are also additional factors that impact eligibility. Assets of an individual in Florida can not exceed $2,000 to remain eligible (Family-related Medicaid income & asset limit chart, 2007). For a married couple in California the allowable assets are $3,000 (Medicare information for Californians, 2008).

In Florida, a pregnant woman is covered under the same guidelines as a one year old child (Family-related Medicaid income & asset limit chart, 2007) . In addition, Florida has a cost sharing program for pregnant women who exceed the eligibility requirements (Family-related Medicaid programs fact sheet, 2007).In conclusion, Medicaid is a federal health insurance program that is administered by the states and can vary greatly across the country. Florida has designed its program so that the bulk of the aid goes to children that are living in poverty, while California's program is generally designed for the elderly and disabled.

In addition, Florida makes Medicaid available to pregnant women who fall within liberal guidelines. In both cases, family size and income level is a critical factor for the guidelines for qualification to Medicaid. ReferencesFamily-related Medicaid income & asset limit chart (2007). Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/ess/FamilyMedChart.pdfFamily-related Medicaid programs fact sheet (2007, February). Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/ess/fammedfactsheet.

pdfMedicare information for Californians (2008). Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://www.calmedicare.org/lowincome/medical.htmlThe 2007 HHS poverty level guidelines (2008, January 23). Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07poverty.shtml