Medicaid is a public health insurance program that exists in every state. Mississippi makes it simple for people to find information about their Medicaid program. It’s all on their website. Mississippi is among the states that is creating their own health insurance exchange.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, health insurance program. It is designed to provide affordable health insurance coverage for people who are low-income and who are unable to afford to purchase a health plan from a private insurance company. Medicaid is funded, in part, by the federal government, and it is also funded by the government of an individual state.
In Mississippi, the Medicaid program is administered by the Mississippi Division of Medicaid. According to their website, the mission is “to ensure access to health services for the Medicaid eligible population in the most cost efficient and comprehensive manner possible and to continually pursue strategies for optimizing the accessibility and quality of health care. Mississippi is one of the states that is in the process of creating their state’s health insurance exchange.
There are certain requirements that must be met in order for a person to be eligible for Medicaid in Mississippi. A person must be a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The person must also be a resident of Mississippi.
A person must also meet the requirements for age and/or disability, income, resources, and other Mississippi Medicaid eligibility requirements. Those requirements may be somewhat different depending on which portion of the Medicaid program a person is applying for.
To apply for Medicaid in Mississippi, a person can start by getting an application from the Mississippi Division of Medicaid website. Or, you can request to have the application mailed out to you. Another option is to go to the Medicaid Regional Office that serves your community and pick up an application there.
Once a person’s application has been received by the regional Medicaid office, the person will be assigned a Medicaid Specialist. The person must present certain documents to that specialist including: proof of family income for the most recent full month, proof of citizenship (which could be a Social Security number), and Social Security numbers for each person who is applying for Medicaid. Eligible immigrants must show proof of that eligibility.
Mississippi also has information about eligibility hearings on their website. Not every state makes this important information accessible. It briefly goes over the process involved when a person does not agree with the decision made about his or her Medicaid eligibility.
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