California Medicaid Qualifications
Long-term health care and medical insurance can be very expensive, especially for the elderly, disabled, low income families with multiple children and immigrants. For this reason, the federal government has created Medicaid healthcare system to help the disadvantaged who are struggling to pay the high prices for medical care. This system is called Medi-Cal in the state of California. Continue reading to know how you can qualify for California Medicaid.

California Medicaid Qualifications

You have to be a Californian resident to get Medic-Cal health benefits. In addition, you should be a US permanent resident, citizen, national or legal alien. As long as you fall in one of those categories and come from a low-income household, you will get Medicaid health assistance. You could also qualify once you are a California resident who is already getting financial aid from Social Security; the CalWorks welfare program; Refugee Assistance; Adoption Assistance program or Foster Care.




Income Levels

California State uses the Federal Poverty Levels when determining the qualifications for the low-income criteria. A variety of calculations is used and this would depend on the individual’s income. Everyone at the 100% poverty level can qualify. Check the website for California Department of Health Services to get more details on income level qualifications.

Children and Adults

The parent’s income is usually considered when determining if children are eligible for Medi-Cal assistance. The age of the children are also considered. Although the coverage is often limited, adults can qualify without kids. All parents would qualify once they are earning up to 100% of the federal poverty level. Pregnant women also qualify if their income goes up to two times the amount for the federal poverty level.

Immigrants

California Medicaid is available to qualified immigrants. This include individuals who are legal permanent residents or they are allowed to stay in the US because they are battered spouses, refugees, trafficking victims, asylum seekers or children who are awaiting approval for permanent residency.

Elderly

Once elderly persons qualify for the federal Supplemental Security Income, they can get Medicaid benefits. Those who are sixty-five years old will qualify automatically for this healthcare assistance program.

The Medically Needy and Disabled Persons

Persons who earn more money than the qualifying requirements might still get Medicaid coverage once they are deemed as medically needy. The applicants are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, because it will depend on how much they have to spend on medical care and how much they are earning. Just like the elderly, the disabled persons will qualify once they are eligible for the federal Supplemental Security Income. The qualifying disabilities include full or partial blindness or other medical conditions that would prevent someone to stop working for over a year or cause the individual’s death.

When applying for California Medicaid or Medi-Cal healthcare assistance, you can do so by mail or in person. The applications are available online or at the County Social Services office. This form requires information about your income, children, marital status, assets, residency and any benefits that you are getting.