{"id":372592,"date":"2016-03-31T21:35:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/florida-law\/florida-medicaid-eligibility-requirements.html"},"modified":"2018-03-06T00:47:35","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T05:47:35","slug":"florida-medicaid-eligibility-requirements","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/florida-law\/florida-medicaid-eligibility-requirements.html","title":{"rendered":"Florida Medicaid Eligibility Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Florida Medicaid Eligibility Requirements<\/h1>\n
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There are many people in Florida who may qualify for medical care or nursing home treatment under Medicaid. Usually, those people are in a lower income bracket, and may have issues like disabilities or age that prevent them from working. If you would like to know more about eligibility for Medicaid in Florida, the following article provides the basics.<\/p>\n

Medicaid Basics<\/h2>\n

Medicaid is a federal and state program designed to supplement the income of persons who need medical and\/or nursing home treatment<\/a>. If the person qualifies for Medicaid benefits under the Institutional Care Program (ICP), the state will pay the difference between the person’s monthly income and the monthly charge for the nursing home. The Medicaid program in Florida is administered by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Basic Medicaid Eligibility<\/h2>\n

Medicaid eligibility in Florida is determined by Florida’s Department of Children and Families<\/a> or the Social Security Administration for recipients of supplemental security income (SSI). In order to be eligible, the individual must be a child, the parent or caretaker of a child, pregnant, elderly, blind, or disabled, and meet income requirements. The Affordable Care Act<\/a> made changes to Medicaid Eligibility that are effective as of January 1, 2014. Now, Medicaid eligibility is based on IRS rules for determining household and income.<\/p>\n

Income Requirements for Florida Residents<\/h2>\n

For many of the groups eligible for Medicaid, income eligibility is determined in relation to the Federal Poverty Level<\/a>, which changes every year. In Florida, if the household income of a person eligible for Medicaid is less than a certain percent of the Federal Poverty Level, that person meets the income requirements. These percentages change based on family size and eligibility group (e.g. pregnancy, age, or disability). For example, Florida may set the income eligibility limit as 153% of the Federal Poverty Level for a family of two in one eligibility group, and 205% for a family of three in another eligibility group.<\/p>\n

Below you will find descriptions on how to calculate income and household for Medicaid eligibility in Florida.<\/p>\n\n

Calculating Income<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Calculating Household<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n