In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, everyone needs to have medical insurance. Medicaid is a program that can help families, as well as individuals with a low income, get the medical coverage that they need in their lives in order to be safe and secure. Every state has a strict set of rules and regulations that must be abided by in order to be eligible for the program.
Medicaid Eligibility in Indiana
Eligibility is one of the first things that needs to be decided when deciding to apply for Medicaid. Every state has a required set of criteria that they must follow in order to determine in someone is eligible for the program. Medicaid in Indiana has several different programs all of which have differences in their eligibility. However, there are four main aspects that they all look at:
- The size of the applicants family and their income
- The applicant's age
- The number of resources and assets owned by the applicant
- The applicant's medical needs
Once you have determined your eligibility and are ready to move on you will need to apply for the program. There are three ways in which you can do this. You may apply online, in person, or by phone. Once you have applied it may take up to 90 days before you are approved. You may check the status of your application at any time online simply by going to the site. Keep in mind you will need to have a case number ready in order to verify yourself and get your status update.
What Does Medicaid Cover in Indiana
There are different packages that can be chosen when you apply for Medicaid and they usually offer a variety of different things, some cover everything while others may not cover as much. Many of the packages in the Indiana Medicaid cover the following:
- Hospital care
- Doctor visits
- Wellness visit
- Well-child visits
- Clinic services
- Prescription drugs
- Over the counter drugs
- Lab and X-Ray services
- Mental healthcare
- Substance abuse services
- Medical Supplies and Equipment
- Home health care
- Nursing facility services
- Dental care
- Vision care
- Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapy
- Hospice Care
- Emergency transportation
- Non-emergency transportation
- Family planning services
- Routine foot care
- Surgical Footcare
- Chiropractic services
Eligibility based on the income can vary depending on the people or person that is applying for medical assistance at the time. There are four categories that people are split into when looking at income for eligibility:
1. Pregnant Woman
2. Children
3. Adults
4. Aged, Blind, and Disabled
You can learn exactly what the eligibility for these four categories is by visiting the site and finding the category that you fall under. The income is based on how many people have an income in the home and it is based on before-tax income.
When it comes to the cost of Medicaid, it will vary slightly based on the plan that you choose. There is usually a co-pay for certain things that do not exceed $10. Things that will require a copay are:
- Non-Emergency Transportation (anywhere from $.50 - $3.00)
- Emergency Transportation ($10)
- Pharmacy- Generic ($3.00/ prescription)
- Pharmacy- Brand name $3.00/$10.00 per prescription)
- Non-emergency usage of the ER ($3.00)
The prescription plan for Indiana Medicaid has a copay for most of the plans it is just $3.00 and covers a wide variety of drugs that your doctor can prescribe to you. Such as:
- Prescription drugs that are approved by the FDA
- Over the counter drugs that are covered on the OTC Drug Formulary
- Self-injectable drugs like insulin (You can also get other diabetic supplies such as tester, strips, and lancets as well.)
- Drugs to help you quit smoking
Which Medicaid Plan Would Be Best in Indiana?
Indiana Medicaid has several different plans that provide coverage for certain groups of people. There is the Hoosier Healthwise which is for children up to the age of 19 and for pregnant women. The Hoosier Care Connect is for those individuals that have reached the age of 65 and older, also for the blind and disabled. Then there is the Healthy Indiana Plan which is available for all eligible adults between the ages of 19 and 64. To learn more about these main plans and others that are available go to the Indiana Government website and find the plan you need most.
