john_petrowski said:If he needs on-going treatment - medication, doctor visits, etc...he'd be ass-out. You have any idea of the paperwork and approval process for Medicaid?
Let's play devil's advocate and say he's on $300 a month of medication and loses his job on the 1st. His bene's run out in 31 days and if he can't afford Cobra there's not a chance in hell he'll be accepted into Medicaid in that time-frame.
By the way, most applicants who qualify for Medicaid are initially declined. It's the little game the gov't plays. Ever read about people applying for social security disability? Good Lord.
And by the way - income is just one factor for Medicaid eligibility.
I recently experienced what it is like to get somebody approved for SS disability and Medicaid with a family members. It took SS a little less tha 1 month to deny the claim, which was a good turn around time, however, a decision for Medicaid is still pending after 3 months. Apparently there are companies out there that have agreements with local hospitals here in MD in which they focus on helping hospitals get more money out of the Medicaid system. Fortunately, MHIP is available as a back-up plan.