Working with Medicaid

What is Medicaid? Medicaid is a government healthcare program for certain people and families with low incomes. Medicaid provides free or low-cost health coverage to children, families, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. Medicaid is offered through state and federal governments. This government program is usually offered to individuals that are unable to afford healthcare by themselves.
There are a number of factors that determines whether an individual may qualify for the Medicaid program, but even though every state has a Medicaid program qualifications may differ. Some examples of qualifications can be but not limited to; low income, pregnancy, and disability.
Services and procedures covered by Medicaid can include regular dentist appointments some other procedures may be covered with referral and authorization, dialysis; eye doctor visits some with certain restrictions, regular doctors’ appointments. Many procedures and services can be accepted some just may have a few restrictions. Medicaid can even cover some surgeries depending on the extinct of the procedure needed. It all depends on the laws of the state in which one resides. “Medicaid is the major source of outpatient prescription drugs for the low-income population. The program plays a critical role for enrollees with chronic physical or mental illnesses that require drug therapy and is the largest source of coverage for people with HIV/AIDS, a group with a particularly acute need for prescription medications”(Kaiser, 2011, Medicaid and the Uninsured, para. 1).
A provider can charge a Medicaid patient directly only if the services they received are not covered by the program. At this the provider must make sure that he mentions to the patient before the service is rendered that it is not covered by the program and also the patient must agree to pay the bill in a written agreement