Pyro as Bill said:
sc94597 said:
Pyro as Bill is indeed wrong about everyone who needs Medicaid getting it. Having said that, a fifth of all Americans get their insurance through Medicaid and many more than that (up to a third of the population in some states) qualify, but don't apply for it, because they think they don't qualify. It would be hard to find an American who doesn't have a family or friend who has gotten insurance through Medicaid. Copays for Medicaid are about $0-$5, and hospital stays around $20/week. So essentially "free" in the average European sense (multipayer universal healthcare with some cost sharing.) How easy it is to get Medicaid and how much it covers (beyond a federal minimum) varies from state to state though. Purple states, ironically, have the best Medicaid services because elections are competitive and it is an easy win for politicians. A good number of blue states have inclusive Medicaid as well. Red states lag behind, considerably. Most homeless people qualify for Medicaid but not having a home makes the application process tricky and you have to actively apply to get coverage beyond "emergency medicaid." Hospitals will have homeless people auto-applied into emergency Medicaid because it is a way for them to get paid by the state for mandatory emergency care. |
So everyone who qualifies gets it if they apply and everyone qualifies if they have no money? |
Nope, you get treated yes but if there is any serious condition you get sent out the door. It's not what you think. Even with most insurances, a lot of procedures are not covered in America and if you are poor with no health insurance even less. Couple that with medication and it's even worse. Until you are on it do not act as if its just some free ride for everyone, it isn't and many die because they do not have a basic level of insurance to cover the cost of procedures.
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