|
|  |
|
| Medical Assistance (MA) is the largest of Minnesota’s publicly funded health care programs, providing coverage for an average of more than 500,000 people each month. More than half of those are children and families; the remaining are people 65 or older and people who have disabilities. |
| People apply for MA through their local county human service offices. More than two-thirds of those enrolled receive all their health care through health plans. The remaining get care on a fee-for-service basis, under which providers bill the state directly for services provided. |
| MA is Minnesota’s Medicaid program. It is jointly funded with state and federal funds. The Minnesota Department of Human Services oversees the program statewide. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversees Medicaid nationally. |
| In some cases, MA can pay for medical bills going back three months from the date the county receives an individual’s application. Even if their income is too high, applicants can qualify if they have enough medical bills to meet a spenddown (similar to an insurance deductible). |
| | |
|
