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| Minnesota Disability Health Options (MnDHO) is a program for people with physical disabilities who are eligible for Medical Assistance (MA). People who are eligible for both MA and Medicare may also enroll. |
| People with physical disabilities can choose to join MnDHO or stay in their current MA program. There is no additional cost to join MnDHO. |
| The program is administered by the Department of Human Services along with UCare Complete, a health plan, and AXIS Healthcare, a care management organization for people with physical disabilities. AXIS Healthcare is a partnership between Sister Kenny Institute and the Courage Center. |
| One person’s experience with MnDHO: |
| Jane was born with a disability that causes jerky body movements and speech that is hard to understand. She uses a wheelchair controlled by her head and talks by typing into a machine. |
| Because of Jane's disability and the extra time it took for others to listen to her, she was discouraged from asking questions and getting all she needed from her doctors. She hadn't gotten routine care like eye exams and pap smears. Jane had high blood pressure written in her medical records, but this was never treated. |
| The AXIS health coordinator helped her see a doctor who understood her disability. Jane had an eye exam and found out she needed glasses. She also got a routine pap smear. The silent blood pressure problem was finally treated with medicine. She saw a specialist to help treat her muscle spasms and drooling. All of this was easier with someone at her side who understood disabilities and helped both Jane and the doctors understand each other. |
| • be between 18 and 65 years of age |
| • have a physical disability |
| • be eligible for Medical Assistance (including MA for Employed Persons with Disabilities) or both Medical Assistance and Medicare |
| • live in one of the following counties: Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, Carver, Scott, or Washington |
| MnDHO offers all MA and Medicare services (if you also have Medicare), including doctor visits, lab and X-rays, emergency care, durable medical equipment, hospital care, nursing home care, home- and community-based care and support services such as home health care, personal care attendant services, and transportation to appointments. The health plan also may offer services that are normally not covered by MA or Medicare, such as modifications to the home or vehicle, extended personal care attendant services, and others. |
| To enroll in MnDHO, you must be eligible for MA. If you are already on MA and want to enroll in MnDHO, contact UCare Complete at (612) 676-3554 or (800) 707-1711 (toll free) or (800) 688-2534 (TTY). |
| If you have questions about eligibility for MA, contact your local county. |
| The Department of Human Services meets regularly with people who have physical disabilities to find out how the program is working and what needs improvement. If you are interested in getting involved, please call (651) 296-0825. |
| What services will I get? |
| You will get the medical services provided under Medical Assistance (MA) and Medicare (if you also have Medicare) including doctor visits, hospitalization, personal care attendants, nursing home care, home- and community-based waiver services, and other services. The MnDHO health plan may also offer services such as modifications to your home or vehicle, and extended personal care attendant services. |
| UCare Complete has a very broad specialist network and a small group of primary care doctors who are interested in serving people with disabilities. If you want to know if you can keep seeing your doctor in this program, ask AXIS Healthcare. |
| The health coordinator is your first point of contact with the health plan. The health coordinator will answer your questions, work with your doctor to help you get the health care you need, help your doctors and other providers share information with each other, and help you with problems as they come up. See also: When to call your health coordinator. |
| This program has no additional cost. If you have a spenddown for MA, you will continue paying the spenddown while you are on MnDHO. You will get a letter from the Minnesota Department of Human Services telling you how to pay the spenddown if you enroll in MnDHO. |
| People who are on the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or the Community Alternatives for Disabled Individuals (CADI) waivers are eligible to enroll in MnDHO. If you are currently getting CADI or TBI waiver services, you can continue to get them through MnDHO, as long as you still need the services. You will no longer have a county waiver case manager. Instead, your health coordinator will help you get these services. |
| People on the Mental Retardation and Related Conditions (MR/RC), Community Alternative Care (CAC) or Elderly Waiver (EW) programs are not eligible to enroll in MnDHO. |
| You can decide to leave MnDHO at any time. You must tell UCare Complete in writing that you no longer want to belong. The Department of Human Services will then take you out of MnDHO at the beginning of the next month. |
| MnDHO is sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the state agency that oversees public health care programs. MnDHO is run by DHS, in partnership with UCare Complete, a health plan, and AXIS Healthcare, a care management organization. AXIS Healthcare is a partnership between Sister Kenny Institute and Courage Center. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also helps to oversee the program. The program has received funds and other assistance from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. See also: Commonly asked questions about MnDHO. |
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