Medicaid Health Insurance in The US Explained

By: EconomyWatch Content Team   Date: 3 February 2010

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If you do not have health insurance through your employer and you cannot afford an individual plan with a private company then you may want to apply for Medicaid Health Insurance. For those not familiar with Medicaid it is a state based health program that is available throughout the United States to those who qualify. The eligibility requirements are based on a variety of factors including residency, legal status or citizenship, family size, income level and age. If this interests you then apply as soon as possible because the entire process can take weeks or even months to complete.

The first thing you need to do is to visit the Medicaid website online and find the information about the state in which you live. Some states allow you to apply online while others deem it necessary for you to come into their office in person to apply. The documentation you will require to apply be it online or offline includes a proof of age, proof of identity, proof of residency, proof of income and citizenship (or immigration status). Remember that applying for Medicaid Health Insurance can be time consuming and it will require you to have plenty of patience.

As far as your proof of age is concerned, any number of forms of identification is considered acceptable. These include a birth certificate, a driver’s license, a passport, or a religious document such as a baptismal certificate. Make a photocopy of any of these items and it should fulfill the requirement that the Medicaid office will need to process your application.

The need thing that is necessary for you to do is to be able to verify your identity, your citizenship or your immigration status. The Medicaid representative has to know for sure that the person applying for Medicaid Health Insurance is who they say they are. Do not take this personally as this is something that is required of all applicants.

The documents that can be used to prove your identity include a birth certificate, a passport, a social security card, a green card or immigration papers. If you have more than one of these proofs of ID to use when you apply then that is even better. You do not have to bring in originals of your identification if you are afraid of losing them. Make sure however that you photocopy each proof of identification onto a separate sheet of paper when you apply via the internet or when you come into the Medicaid office in person. If all of this seems like a terrible hassle just remember that you are doing it for the sake of your health and your health matters.

 
 


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