Spenddown works a little like an insurance deductible. You pay for the cost of your medical care up to a set amount each month based on your income and assets. This is called your spenddown amount.

Is Medicaid planning unethical?

Medicaid planning can be justified ethically only by placing it within the context of the economic system in which the planning takes place, we assert. Within the United States free market system, no one has a right to basic health care and long-term care.

What does it mean to spend down for Medicaid coverage?

Some people have too much income to qualify for Medicaid. Some of these people may qualify for Medicaid if they spend the excess income on medical bills. This is called a spend down. For example, a person over 65 is denied Medicaid because her monthly income is $50 more than the limit for Medicaid eligibility.

What does spend down mean for Medicaid in California?

Medicaid is referred to by different names in different states. So spend down in California is called “Medi-Cal Spend Down”. In Illinois and other states “Medical Assistance Spend Down”. “Medicare Spend Down” is simply a misnomer. Medicare has no asset limit and therefore Medicare spend down does not exist.

Can a spend down program refer to both income and assets?

While the “spend down program” can refer to both income and assets, it is much more common when discussing assets. Therefore, the majority of this article will focus on that subject. Income and asset limits for Medicaid do not remain consistent across the United States, nor do they remain the same even within each state.

Do you have to have income to qualify for Medicaid spend down?

In order for applicants to be eligible for Medicaid, they must have limited income. If one has income above the qualifying limit, one can still qualify for Medicaid via spend down.

What do you need to know about spend down?

Spend down is a MO HealthNet program in which you have an amount that you must pay or reach each month before you can have MO HealthNet coverage. It is similar to an insurance premium.