WUSF Public Media
By: Julio Ochoa
Proposed changes to Florida’s Medicaid eligibility requirements would make it harder for people to get coverage after they become sick.
The state is considering doing away with a three-month “retroactive eligibility period,” which allows patients to enroll in Medicaid up to 90 days after they see a provider. The change would apply to anyone who is not pregnant and 21 or older. “I can only think the goal here is to save money,” said Joan Alker, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families. “I can’t really think of any policy reason to pursue this kind of change.” Retroactive eligibility is especially important for elderly people who require long-term care, Alker said.
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Retroactive eligibility allows them time to go through the application process, which can take several weeks, depending on the person. “So this is a way to protect both the beneficiary as well as the hospital or nursing home from uninsured debt that would result both to the person and the provider,” Alker said. Hospitals that care for a lot of low-income patients have been critical of past proposals to remove retroactive eligibility.
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