Policy Basics: Introduction To Medicaid
In 2018, Medicaid provided health coverage for 97 million low-income Americans.
In 2018, Medicaid provided health coverage for 97 million low-income Americans over the course of the year. In any given month, Medicaid served 32 million children, 28 million adults , 6 million seniors, and 9 million people with disabilities, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
Children account for more than two-fifths of Medicaid enrollees but only one-fifth of Medicaid spending. Only one-fifth of Medicaid enrollees are seniors or people with disabilities, but because they need more health care services, they account for nearly half of Medicaid spending.
Medicaid is sometimes confused with Medicare, the federally administered, federally funded health insurance program for people over 65 and some people with disabilities. And there is overlap between the two programs: nearly 10 million low-income seniors and people with disabilities so-called dual eligibles are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.
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What Are My Chances Of Getting Sick
If youve recently been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of Covid-19, you should take the following precautions.
A known exposure means youve been in close contact of an infected person for 15 minutes or more. You should qaurantine if youve cared for a person with Covid-19, shared food or utensils with them, or you think they may have coughed or sneezed on you.
You have three options for quarantine, which means staying home and away from others until you know you havent contracted the virus.
14-day quarantine: This is the safest and most reliable way to ensure that you dont spread the virus to others after a potential exposure to it. Stay home for 14 days and monitor your health. You can still be around members of your household, but you should try to minimize contact with them, wear a mask and avoid sharing food and utensils if possible. Isolation at home is typically recommended only if you are infected with the virus. But if you live with a vulnerable person at high risk for complications from Covid-19, you may want to take additional precautions at home as well.
10-day quarantine: Federal health officials have said 10 days is a reasonable amount of time to spend in quarantine after coming into contact with an infected person, if you do not experience symptoms. You should still monitor your health for four days after quarantine and avoid contact with vulnerable people. As always, wear a mask following your 10-day quarantine.
Additional Ways To Get Help With Medicare Costs
If you are not considered low income and therefore not eligible for Medicaid, you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan also known as Part C. When you opt for Part C, a private carrier pays for your health care instead of Medicare.
Medicare Advantage plans all come with their own cost-sharing. A rule of thumb: the lower your monthly premium, the higher your cost-sharing. You still need to set aside extra funds to cover your medical costs in order to protect your retirement savings.
The other option to help cover cost-sharing is to enroll in a Medigap plan. Medigap plans come with a monthly premium, but they cover significantly more than a Medicare Advantage plan. They also do not have all the limitations Medicare Advantage plans come with.
Did You Know: To learn more about the differences between these types of coverage, read my guide: Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap.
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Where Should I Donate Money
If you are looking to give money to those who need it most, you may want to consider an organization that provides food or helps with medical efforts.
Be sure to take care when choosing a charity. The watchdogs Charity Navigator or CharityWatch vet organizations.
You can also consider giving to local businesses and families in need directly. Or helping your neighbors in ways that are not necessarily monetary.
Can I Afford Health Insurance
To sign up for a private health insurance plan, you typically have to pay a monthly premium. Its far more likely that you can afford health insurance than that you can afford to pay for a surgery, illness or emergency room visit out of your own pocket.
Private health insurers usually offer a variety of plans with different premiums in order to reach a wide range of income levels.
If you cant afford a private health insurance plan, you might be eligible for a government health insurance plan, such as Medicaid or Medicare. Or you might be eligible for subsidies on the healthcare.gov Health Insurance Marketplace.
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What Does The Virus Do To My Body
In the beginning, the coronavirus seemed like it was primarily a respiratory illness many patients had fever and chills, were weak and tired, and coughed a lot. Those who seemed sickest had pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome which caused their blood oxygen levels to plummet and received supplemental oxygen. In severe cases, they were placed on ventilators to help them breathe.
By now, doctors have identified many more symptoms and syndromes. In April, the C.D.C. added to the list of early signs sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches. Gastrointestinal disturbances, such as diarrhea and nausea, have also been observed.
Another telltale sign of infection may be a sudden, profound diminution of ones sense of smell and taste. Teenagers and young adults in some cases have developed painful red and purple lesions on their fingers and toes nicknamed Covid toe” but few other serious symptoms.
More serious cases can lead to inflammation and organ damage, even without difficulty breathing. There have been cases of dangerous blood clots, strokes and brain impairments.
Medicare Vs Medicaid How Is Eligibility Established
Eligibility for Medicare is simple if you are over age 65 and have paid Medicare tax through your employment for at least ten years, you qualify. You can get Medicare Part A at age 65 without paying any premiums if:
· You receive Railroad Retirement Board benefits or
· You are eligible to receive Railroad Retirement Board benefits or Social Security benefits but have not yet filed for them or
· You or your spouse had Medicare-covered government employment.
If you or your spouse dont qualify for Medicare Part A because neither of you paid Medicare tax through your employment, you may still be able to obtain Medicare Part A via paid premiums. Eligibility for Medicare Part B is the same as for Part A but requires a paid premium. Some folks qualify for Medicare benefits even though they are under age 65, including younger people with disabilities and those with End-Stage Renal Disease.
Eligibility for Medicaid is needs-based. Meaning, income restrictions for programs cover pregnant women, children, the disabled, and the elderly. If your income is under the amount specified for your state, then you likely qualify if you are in one of those groups.
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Im Trying To Exercise Again Its Really Hard Tips
Over all, our excercise habits have changed considerably during the course of the pandemic. A study from the U.K., which had not been peer-reviewed, showed than many of us have been less active since the start of lockdowns, although some people have really upped their routines and many of those people are over 65. No matter where you are on that scale, it’s never too late to get started.
Who Can Get Obamacare Coverage
If youâre a legal resident of the United States, you can buy an Obamacare private health insurance plan through your states ACA health insurance exchange as long as youâre not enrolled in Medicare.
Subsidy eligibility: If your household income is in the subsidy-eligible range and youre not eligible for Medicaid, Medicare, or an employer-sponsored plan that provides affordable, comprehensive coverage, you may qualify for a subsidy that helps pay part of your monthly health insurance premiums.
For several years, subsidy eligibility had an income cap equal to 400% of the federal poverty level. But that income cap was eliminated for 2021 and 2022, under the American Rescue Plan. The Build Back Better Act, under consideration in Congress in late 2021, would extend that provision through 2025.
Expanded Medicaid exception: Under the ACA, your household income has to be at least 100% of the poverty level in order to qualify for a premium subsidy. But subsidies are not available if youre eligible for Medicaid, and in states that have expanded Medicaid under the ACA, Medicaid is available to people with income up to 138% of the poverty level. So the lower threshold for ACA subsidy eligibility is 139% of the poverty level in those states. As of 2021, Medicaid has been expanded in 38 states and DC, so the lower eligibility level for premium subsidy eligibility is 139% of the poverty level in the majority of the country.
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What Should We Do About Birthdays
For those of us who enjoy getting older or at least all the attention that comes with it, you can still observe the day while making sure you live to see another year. For those in milder climates, park birthdays may still be an option.
Otherwise, that virtual party over Zoom can actually be a lot of fun so long as you limit the time and plan simple, interactive ways to get everyone on the call to take part. Dont pick a time too close to mealtimes or youll lose people to their microwaves. Be respectful of not monopolizing peoples days. And if youre inviting people from different time zones , be sure you pick an hour that isnt too late or too early for the guests.
If youre like my mother and think eating birthday cake in front of everyone is rude, you can suggest they bring along their own favorite treats, so it feels like youre all together.
Just be sure to keep your guests tendencies in mind: If youre inviting a bunch of talkers, you can let people speak up on their own . If theyre a quieter bunch, you might want to call names and regardless, thats a nice way to get the party started.
For kids , you can also go for a multi-tiered birthday celebration: in-person activities at home with the members of your household, as well as online or drive-by activities with friends. At home, endow your birthday celebrant with magic powers for the day the chance to pick each meal and all the family activities.
Is Medicare A Disability Or Medicaid
Disabled people who are approved for Social Security disability insurance benefits will receive Medicare, and those who are approved for Supplemental Security Income will receive Medicaid. However, SSDI recipients aren’t eligible to receive Medicare benefits until two years after their date of entitlement.
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What Does Medicaid Pay For
Medicaid covers a broad array of health services and limits enrollee out-of-pocket costs. Medicaid finances nearly a fifth of all personal health care spending in the U.S., providing significant financing for hospitals, community health centers, physicians, nursing homes, and jobs in the health care sector.
Is A Career In Social Work Right For Me
Is a career in social work worth it? For you, it could be. Before you settle on any profession, whether it is in social work or a related discipline, consider your personal interests, unique abilities and professional goals. Your career as a social worker should align with these three things. Consider asking yourself these questions to determine if a social work career is worth it for you:
- Does diversity drive you or is your cultural competence what draws others to you?
- Do you currently spend your spare time mentoring disadvantaged youth or support children and adolescents who have experienced trauma or abuse at the hands of family members?
- Are you emotionally resilient, and do you seek out challenges in the workplace, always proposing new solutions?
- Are you praised for your patience, professionalism and ability to read people?
The job of a social worker is often considered both rewarding and emotionally taxing. Having strong interpersonal skills, exercising empathy and being an effective communicator, listener and critical thinker may contribute to success in this career.
If you do decide to enter the field of social work, youll be joining a fast-growing workforce. Employment of social workers is projected to grow 12% from 2020 to 2030, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . By contrast, all occupations are expected to grow 8% in the same decade.
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Finding Part D Drug Insurance
To get started, find the plans available in your zip code. Once you have created an account at Medicare.gov, you can enter the names of your drugs and use a convenient tool that allows you to compare plan premiums, deductibles, and Medicare star ratings .
If you dont take many prescription drugs, look for a plan with a low monthly premium. All plans must still cover most drugs used by people with Medicare. If, on the other hand, you have high prescription drug costs, check into plans that cover your drugs in the donut hole, the coverage gap period that kicks in after you and the plan have spent $4,430 on covered drugs in 2022.
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Why Are Some Schools And Universities Remote Only While Others Are Open For In
Without clear federal mandates, state and local authorities have largely been on their own to determine the best course of action for their schools and those plans differ greatly even under similar circumstances. The result: a patchwork of unclear messaging and policies that has left many parents in the lurch.
It seems that access to the right resources and advance planning have given some schools a better shot at opening successfully. For that reason, across the country schools in lower-income neighborhoods are significantly more likely to opt for remote-only instruction, furthering the disparity in quality of education. At the same time, some public schools are located in places with high community spread, so many of these districts have made the tough decision to start and stay remote only.
In New York City and San Francisco, private school students are generally receiving live classroom experiences, while most public school students in both districts spent much of the school year without meaning that the class divide is determining which children receive in-person instruction.
And across the country, some public schools that are reluctant to fully reopen have been pushing to at least get younger students back in front of a teacher as research suggests that these children are in particular need of in-person instruction.
Students in districts with low community spread will be safer.
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Is It Safe To Go Grocery Shopping
Weve all learned how to safely grocery shop during the pandemic wear a mask, avoid crowds, keep the trip short and wash your hands . While it may feel like a more hazardous time to shop compared with earlier months of the pandemic, the level of risk varies across the country. Your risk of crossing paths with an infected person is higher when an indicator called the test positivity rate is above 5 percent in your community.
Case counts and test positivity rates have risen across the country, which is why everyone needs to take precautions. But in some places, while precautions are needed and numbers have newly risen, its still not as bad as it once was. For instance, New York Citys test positivity rate now falls just below 9 percent, meaning your risk is lower compared with last April, when the rate was close to 70 percent.
To find out how your state is doing, use this chart from Johns Hopkins University. And to find the test positivity rate in your community, check your state or county health department’s website or try the Covid Act Now website.
What Is The Difference Between The Medicare And Medicaid Programs Brainly
Answer
In the United States, Medicare provides health care for the elderly, while Medicaid provides health care for those with limited financial resources. Persons with low incomes may get housing assistance via Medicare, while people with low incomes can receive health care through Medicaid.
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What About A Coronavirus Vaccine For Kids
The short answer: Not until the end of the summer if things go well.
The vaccine process for children is behind that of adults, because the purpose of the vaccine is to save lives. It needed to be tested in the most at-risk populations first, and older people are dying at a much higher rate from Covid-19 than children. People under the age of 21 make up about one-quarter of the country’s population, but not even 1 percent of deaths from Covid-19.
Additionally, only if researchers discovered no serious side effects in adults, would they be able to start testing a vaccine in children, beginning with teenagers and working their way to younger ages. Vaccine developers are keenly aware that children are not simply miniature adults. Their biology is different in ways that may affect the way vaccines work.
Here’s where we are now:
-The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for anyone at least 16 years old, although there are ongoing trials for adolescents ages 12 to 15 a crucial age group, as teenagers are almost twice as likely to get Covid as younger children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results are expected by summer, and a new study will be conducted for kids under 12, according to Keanna Ghazvini, a spokeswoman for Pfizer.
And here’s some good news while we wait: getting your kid vaccinated won’t be a prerequisite to opening schools back up in the fall, although it will be helpful for making close-contact extracurriculars safer.
