Medicaid for Pregnant women

[itsy_bitsy 8]

Can a non-US citizen apply for medicaid?. I just need it to cover my pregnancy, not for permanent financial support or whatever. I live in the state of Florida.

[Caryh 5,206]

Medicaid is a need based federally funded benefit. Immigrants are limited in what they can obtain, I believe requiring 5 years of residency until they are eligible. The sponsor of the immigrant will responsible for repaying the government for any benefits received, until the immigrant has 40 quarters of work or becomes a citizen. This what the I-864 was used for, to make the sponsor responsible and not the tax payer.

[Harsh_77 716]

Can a non-US citizen apply for medicaid?. I just need it to cover my pregnancy, not for permanent financial support or whatever. I live in the state of Florida.

Your spouse or someone who signed the affidavit of support is responsible for covering your pregnancy.

Sorry it is not tax payers responsibility.

[Caryh 5,206]

Just to make a correction in my posting, for pregnant women in Florida, you can get it without the five year residency.

http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/access/medicaid.shtml

Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Women (PEPW) - PEPW provides temporary Medicaid to provide pregnant women immediate access to prenatal care. County Health Departments, Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Centers (RPICC), Federally Qualified Health Centers, Maternal and Infant Care Projects and Children’s Medical Services units all determine eligibility for PEPW and concurrently submit an application for Simplified Eligibility for Pregnant Women to DCF. All pregnant women with family income less than or equal to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible for coverage. There is no asset limit and citizenship/alien status is not a factor of eligibility. The presumptive period begins with the date the eligibility determination is completed by the Qualified Designated Provider (QDP) and extends for an additional two months while DCF makes a determination of eligibility for ongoing Medicaid. PEPW covers outpatient prenatal care only

Simplified Eligibility for Pregnant Women (SEPW) - SEPW provides full Medicaid coverage for pregnant women. Eligibility is determined for the pregnant woman only and does not consider the potential eligibility of other household members or eligibility for other programs. All pregnant women with family income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible. There is no asset limit for coverage. The pregnancy must be verified. Coverage extends through delivery and two post-partum months. Pregnant women with income above 185% may be enrolled in Medically Needy with a share of cost

But that does not mean the sponsor is not liable for paying back the benefits received.

[Removed-02242014 19]

How do you think the illegal Mexican aliens have babies here in Southern California ??

[itsy_bitsy 8]

Your spouse or someone who signed the affidavit of support is responsible for covering your pregnancy.

Sorry it is not tax payers responsibility.

I was just going to ignore you because your reply didn't answer my question, but I feel like I need to defend myself and explain my situation. First of all, I've been a taxpayer since I started working in the US until my husband and I moved to Florida from Texas and I couldn't find a job since then. Second, I'm aware of my husband's responsibilities for me, as well as my own. If you think we're doing this simply to run away from the financial responsibility, at least read on first, although what I'm going to say isn't just for you but for everybody's understanding. We had been trying to get pregnant for 4 years or so and alas! it finally arrived. So it's not like we purposely got pregnant during this time of our lives when we're in financial crisis. I admit, it's our fault for not thinking that I could get prego anytime. But like I said, we had been trying for 4 years, we almost gave up and decided to just get over it, so we stopped expecting and waiting. My husband's current job doesn't offer insurance. I had insurance that covered pregnancy when I was still working as a CNA. Had this pregnancy happened then, medical coverage wouldn't have been a problem, but I'm not complaining. It's a blessing, and I'm sure any mother who's waiting to get pregnant would be more than happy to embrace conception any time in their lives. And mind you, we're not leeches like some people are (we all know who they are). This is not the first year in our married life that we're in a rough time. There was a time when we were both laid off and neither had a job for like 3 months. Some friends advised us to apply for food stamp and unemployment, but we refused to. Instead, we slowly drained our savings until my husband eventually got a job, and so did I later. But right now, being pregnant at 12 weeks, pride or whatever is not an option. I need to get the medical care my baby needs. And if it there's government help available out there, I'll grab it. If not, then I guess I'll just fly to my country ASAP in order to get the care needed.

Edited May 15, 2012 by itsy_bitsy

[itsy_bitsy 8]

Just to make a correction in my posting, for pregnant women in Florida, you can get it without the five year residency.

http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/access/medicaid.shtml

Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Women (PEPW) - PEPW provides temporary Medicaid to provide pregnant women immediate access to prenatal care. County Health Departments, Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Centers (RPICC), Federally Qualified Health Centers, Maternal and Infant Care Projects and Children’s Medical Services units all determine eligibility for PEPW and concurrently submit an application for Simplified Eligibility for Pregnant Women to DCF. All pregnant women with family income less than or equal to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible for coverage. There is no asset limit and citizenship/alien status is not a factor of eligibility. The presumptive period begins with the date the eligibility determination is completed by the Qualified Designated Provider (QDP) and extends for an additional two months while DCF makes a determination of eligibility for ongoing Medicaid. PEPW covers outpatient prenatal care only

Simplified Eligibility for Pregnant Women (SEPW) - SEPW provides full Medicaid coverage for pregnant women. Eligibility is determined for the pregnant woman only and does not consider the potential eligibility of other household members or eligibility for other programs. All pregnant women with family income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible. There is no asset limit for coverage. The pregnancy must be verified. Coverage extends through delivery and two post-partum months. Pregnant women with income above 185% may be enrolled in Medically Needy with a share of cost

But that does not mean the sponsor is not liable for paying back the benefits received.

This is very helpful. Thanks a lot for this info. What does 5 year residency exactly mean? Is it 5 years since arrival to the US or 5 years of being a greencard holder?

[Caryh 5,206]

This is very helpful. Thanks a lot for this info. What does 5 year residency exactly mean? Is it 5 years since arrival to the US or 5 years of being a greencard holder?

The green card legal residence date I'm sure.

There was someone on here a while back who worked for the government in an aid agency at one time and talked about going after those that sponsored the immigrant. They mentioned they rarely actually go after the sponsor, because generally the sponsor was on hard times to, like you and your spouse at this time. But even if they should come back and look for payment later, at least you can get the care you need now. Do what's right for the baby now, deal with the money later. Take those food stamps if you need them now to, make sure you eat a good diet for the baby. Its to everyone's benefit that babies come into the world healthy and get a good start.

I'm surprised you moved from Texas to Florida, I thought Florida had a horrible economy now, while Texas wasn't doing too badly. Good luck.

[DouglasFiel 53]

Regarding unemployment,,, if you qualified,,, you should of applied. It is not welfare it is insurance paid by your employer and DOES NOT having any effect in regards to your affidavit of support.

Note: I think food stamps fall in a non-reimbusable category too,,, as it is funded under the agriculture dept and not considered

welfare... Might want to double check that one.

regards,

dc

Edited May 16, 2012 by DouglasFiel

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Medicaid is a need based federally funded benefit. Immigrants are limited in what they can obtain, I believe requiring 5 years of residency until they are eligible. The sponsor of the immigrant will responsible for repaying the government for any benefits received, until the immigrant has 40 quarters of work or becomes a citizen. This what the I-864 was used for, to make the sponsor responsible and not the tax payer.

Emergency medicaid to cover the birth of child is NOT a means-tested benefit. It has nothing to do with the I-864.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3183.html

Just to make a correction in my posting, for pregnant women in Florida, you can get it without the five year residency.

http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/access/medicaid.shtml

Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Women (PEPW) - PEPW provides temporary Medicaid to provide pregnant women immediate access to prenatal care. County Health Departments, Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Centers (RPICC), Federally Qualified Health Centers, Maternal and Infant Care Projects and Children’s Medical Services units all determine eligibility for PEPW and concurrently submit an application for Simplified Eligibility for Pregnant Women to DCF. All pregnant women with family income less than or equal to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible for coverage. There is no asset limit and citizenship/alien status is not a factor of eligibility. The presumptive period begins with the date the eligibility determination is completed by the Qualified Designated Provider (QDP) and extends for an additional two months while DCF makes a determination of eligibility for ongoing Medicaid. PEPW covers outpatient prenatal care only

Simplified Eligibility for Pregnant Women (SEPW) - SEPW provides full Medicaid coverage for pregnant women. Eligibility is determined for the pregnant woman only and does not consider the potential eligibility of other household members or eligibility for other programs. All pregnant women with family income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible. There is no asset limit for coverage. The pregnancy must be verified. Coverage extends through delivery and two post-partum months. Pregnant women with income above 185% may be enrolled in Medically Needy with a share of cost

But that does not mean the sponsor is not liable for paying back the benefits received.

No, the sponsor won't be liable for paying back the benefits.

Your spouse or someone who signed the affidavit of support is responsible for covering your pregnancy.

Sorry it is not tax payers responsibility.

Sorry you are incorrect.

Regarding unemployment,,, if you qualified,,, you should of applied. It is not welfare it is insurance paid by your employer and DOES NOT having any effect in regards to your affidavit of support.

Note: I think food stamps fall in a non-reimbusable category too,,, as it is funded under the agriculture dept and not considered

welfare... Might want to double check that one.

regards,

dc

Food stamps are tricky. A lot depends on the case worker and how they calculate the household size. In most cases, the alien won't be eligible. But the USC spouse and US citizen children will be.

[Glyn and Kathy 288]

I'm sure you're able to be covered. Just do what you need to do to have a healthy pregnancy and birth! Congratulations on the baby!

[John&Juvy 36]

I'm not so sure about this, coz the claim that I filed is little bit different than what you want to aplly. You used to work before and paying taxes, try to call them and ask about it. Me my self, is a 10 yrs. GC holder, worked in a hotel fulltime for 2 and half years. I wasn't also sure before when I filed a claim for a temporary disability due to my pregnancy at 9 months when I can't work anymore. I did gave them a call and I got approved. Then another 6 weeks of continued claim after the delivery coz I can't go back to work right away. Then they have this thing family bonding for another 6 weeks for the new mother and the baby. Was eligible in all of it even I'm not a citizen yet. It was a big help. Give them a call. Good luck and congrats to your pregnancy ! Remember the baby inside you is much muccch more important more than anything now in the world, so enjoy and just relax .

Edited May 16, 2012 by John&Juvy

[Tahoma 2,291]

+1...Rebecca Jo...

[Reyan 56]

The OP will probably qualify for emergency medicaid for the delivery of the child, but at the same token I hope any reading this will not think of this as a way out of having to pay for the delivery of their child (I am not implying the OP is BTW). Someone does ultimately have to pay for the service, and it general ends up being the US public (whether it be higher premiums or heathcare costs). I wish the OP best of luck.

[Loolie 56]

Can a non-US citizen apply for medicaid?. I just need it to cover my pregnancy, not for permanent financial support or whatever. I live in the state of Florida.

Yes you can apply for medicaid even if your a not usc. Try to call the medicaid in your state so you can get information on what forms to fill up and requirements too. You can also apply for wic and if you qualified then you can get milk etc that wic allowed and also free formula for your baby if your not breastfeeding. Its a great help too. And if i were you, i wouldnt care of what other people say about applying for any govt assistance...its there to help people so make use of it.