Can MEDICAID pay for my insurance I get from work?

Question:

I was told from my Human Resources (HR) Department that if I have MEDICAID (which my new born quilfies for 1 year), they can pay for my health plan (which would include my family) that I would recieve from work. I can't afford health insurance that I have with them but if what if HR is telling me is true, meaning MEDICAID would prefer to pay for my monthly premium rather then the hospital bill(s), I would like to take that route. I currently do have the expensive Health Ins. from my work for my other child, wife, me, and soon for the new born. If medicaid can pay that, that would help my out greatly. But before I stur the pot and start asking MEDICAID these questions, I wanted to get AnswersRoom.coms thoughts 1st.Maybe someone out there is in the same situation as me. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
This is going to completely depend on the state in which you live.
You have to remember that even though Medicaid is paid for through federal dollars, each state implements the program on their own. And each state has their own set of rules for qualification.

My state does not cover newborns under the Medicaid program and does not allow Medicaid dollars to be used to pay employee health insurance premiums.although it is a very, very good idea in the drive to combat the growing ranks of the uninsured.

If you work for a large employer, that employer offers you health coverage under what is known as a 'self-insured' ERISA plan where the employer hires a third party (many times that third party administrator is also an insurance company) and pays claims themselves.it is NOT insurance...even though you pay a monthly 'premium' it is not really a premium but you are helping pay those 'self insured' health claims.

So to have Medicaid paying your employer for health coverage that they self-fund anyway is a little bit weird and opens the door to all kinds of mischief...especially since big employers already get all kinds of tax breaks for offering ERISA coverage anyway..that's like being triple paid for the same single coverage.

You should contact your state Department of Human Services and find out what their Medicaid rules are.

Group health at work is primary and then Medicaid kicks in...

I don't think so. I know you have to have one or the other, unless you have SERIOUS medical issues, then you can have medicaid as a secondary. Medicaid is meant for those who can't afford to have other insurance, not to cover the premiums of their insurance.

On a side note, this really burns me - how dare people take a free ride on my tax-paying back!

Can MEDICAID pay for my insurance I get from work?

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