Using Medicaid to Care for Your Family

Introduction

No one else can care for you like your family. They can prioritize your health more than someone who takes care of you to earn. Here’s where CDPAP comes into the picture.

CDPAP or the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program is an initiative by New York state in using Medicaid to care for the family. According to this program, consumers can choose or hire their caregiver. However, the caregiver can be anyone except the spouse.

After enrolling for Medicaid, your chosen caregiver will get paid for taking care of you. To ensure that the caregiver is getting paid, a fiscal intermediary is required. Using Medicaid to care for family won’t result in any additional cost.

For an individual to request for a caregiver and for using Medicaid to care for family, individuals should prove that they need home care. A doctor’s documentation can help in deciding if an individual needs foster care or not.

Any adult who can legally work can be the caregiver. Freedomcare is one of the leading fiscal intermediaries in the state who can help guide you through the process of using Medicaid to care for family.

Eligibility Criteria

The financial eligibility criteria should be met as per mandated by the state of residence:

• Residency and immigration status requirements
• Documentation of US citizenship

This program facilitates individuals who are low-income adults and children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities. Classic home aids can be limited to administering the medication. At the same time, the caregiver using Medicaid to Care for Family can do much more. For instance, injecting insulin or providing oxygen masks when needed.

Usually, when a caregiver belongs to the family, they may have to compromise with their jobs to take care of a family member. Caregivers may thus tend to lose their income and may often need to pay for caregiving expenses. In such cases, if the individual is eligible for Medicaid, the caregiver can earn by taking care of the individual. So using Medicaid to care for family is a win-win situation for both the family member and the caregiver.

 Most Medicare Advantage plans offer the following:

• Hospital Coverage for hospital visits, home healthcare, hospice care etc.
• Medical Coverage for diagnostic, preventive and treatment-related services
• Prescription drug coverage where some cost of prescription drugs are covered

Few facts on using Medicaid to care for family:

• Medicaid is a public health insurance program for those with low income
• Medicaid programs are structured as a federal-state partnership
• Medicaid insurance coverage has evolved since its inception
• Using Medicaid to care for family helps serve diverse populations
• Medicaid focuses mainly on the elderly and people with disabilities
• Medicaid covers long-term healthcare services
• Each state has its own eligibility requirements for using Medicaid to care for family
• The amount of money received for caregiving depends on a Medicaid assessment of need and the average state wage for in-home care aides

Additional health care costs not covered by Medicaid:

• Dental services
• Cosmetic surgery
• Missed doctor’s appointments
• Health care cost incurred for services provided outside the US
• Over-the-counter medications or supplements
• Annual physical checkups

Benefits offered under Medicaid plans:

• Inpatient & outpatient hospital services
• Nursing facility services
• Physician services
• Rural health clinic services
• Laboratory and x-ray services
• Transportation to medical care
• Home health services

Conclusion

If you’re eligible for CDPAP or the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, it’s going to be fantastic program to help you and your family with preventative care or during time of health crisis.

Whether you’re faced with an unexpected life changing health event or simply want to maintain the health of you and your loved ones, CDPAP is an ideal choice.

Check your eligibility and speak to a professional CDPAP agent today.