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Medical Assistance

Overview

Medical Assistance (MA) is the largest of Minnesota’s publicly funded health care programs. It provided coverage for a monthly average of 733,000 low-income people in state fiscal year 2012. Three-fourths of those were children and families, pregnant women and adults without children. The others were people 65 or older and people who have disabilities. Adults without children with incomes at or below 75 percent of poverty became eligible for MA in March 2011.

Most enrollees get their health care through health plans. The rest get care on a fee-for-service basis, with providers billing the state directly for services provided.

MA is Minnesota’s Medicaid program, funded with state and federal funds. The Minnesota Department of Human Services oversees the program statewide. Eligibility is administered by county offices. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversees Medicaid nationally.

How to apply

County human service offices process MA applications. Applicants can apply online or fill out a paper application.

In some cases, MA can pay for medical bills going back three months from the date the county receives the application. If the applicant’s income is too high, they may still qualify if they have enough medical bills to meet a spenddown (similar to an insurance deductible).

Click on How to apply in the left column of this page for more information. Applicants who have questions should contact their county human service office.

Facts and figures about MA

• Minnesota Health Care Programs fact sheet (PDF)

• Detailed information about program costs and funding sources, as well as enrollment breakdowns by county, is in reports produced by the department’s Reports and Forecasts division.

• Legislative summaries are available on the department’s fact sheets page.

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