US Politics |OT|

[sc94597]

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. Many red states have put obstacles in place where having no money doesn't necessarily mean you qualify. Work or volunteer requirements make this the case. If you have a chronic condition that makes you short term disabled (and unable to work) and don't qualify for long-term disability you are left to the wilderness in these states.