Philadelphia Inquirer Series Examines Medicaid Income Eligibility Limits

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 27 Nov 2008 - 5:00 PST

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The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday, as part of its series titled "Falling Through: Casualties of the Health Insurance Crisis," profiled a New Jersey man who became ill and lost his job and health insurance. The man receives $1,988 per month in disability from Social Security, but he was denied Medicaid coverage because his income is $77 over the eligibility limit. The man will be eligible for Medicare disability coverage in 2010, after the two-year waiting period established for disability benefits in 1972. About 1.5 million people are in the waiting period for Medicare at any given time, and about a quarter of them are uninsured, according to the Inquirer (Vitez, Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/26).

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