Understanding Medi-Cal's asset test for seniors and people with disabilities
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Issue brief (California HealthCare Foundation)
- Author(s):
- Sze, Felicia Y., author
- Contributor(s):
- California HealthCare Foundation, issuing body.
- Publication:
- [Oakland, California] : California Health Care Foundation, April 2019
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Eligibility Determination Financing, Personal Medicaid Aged Disabled Persons Income State Government Humans Arizona California New York United States United States.
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- California's Medicaid program, called Medi- Cal, provides health coverage to individuals with low incomes, including children, families, many low-wage workers, and seniors and persons with disabilities. In addition to income, one of the factors considered for determining eligibility for California's seniors and persons with disabilities is whether they have assets, such as savings, worth more than a specified amount. The purpose of this "asset test" is to limit access to Medicaid to only those who do not have access to sufficient resources to pay for their own medical care. The idea is that if people have substantial assets, they could use these to pay for the care they need. However, the continued application of an asset test for seniors and persons with disabilities stands in stark contrast to the way eligibility is determined for many other populations who are eligible for Medi-Cal under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed into law in 2010. This disparity in treatment has heightened concerns about the potential adverse impact of asset testing on seniors and persons with disabilities, many of whom have a fixed level of savings, are not employed, and are more likely than other populations to face steep medical expenses. In addition, seniors and persons with disabilities who are eligible for Medi-Cal may be deterred from enrolling by the specter of an onerous asset test or the risk of losing their modest financial safety net. This issue brief describes asset test rules California currently uses to determine Medi-Cal eligibility for seniors and persons with disabilities. It also describes the federal authorization that allows states to apply less restrictive resource limitations, and outlines how other states have used these authorities to adopt less restrictive asset limits. Lastly, the paper outlines questions California may choose to consider as it examines its current policy on asset tests for seniors and persons with disabilities applying for Medi-Cal.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-ND license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (7 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101758653 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101758653