Medicaid is a government program designed to help the poor obtain health care services. Pregnant women and children under age 19 who meet certain income requirements may be eligible for Medicaid coverage, along with qualified aged, blind, and disabled individuals. Wyoming’s Medicaid Program, or EqualityCare, provides medical coverage for needy Wyoming residents who qualify.
Eligibility for EqualityCare is based on family income and sometimes healthcare needs. Medicaid eligibility in Wyoming is divided into 4 groups: Children; Pregnant Women; Family Care Adults; and Aged, Blind and Disabled.
Eligible children include:
· Newborns born to a Medicaid-eligible mother
· Low-income children with a family income of 100% or 133% below the Federal Poverty Level
· Foster Care Children is DFS
Eligible pregnant women include:
· Pregnant women with a family income below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level
Eligible family care adults include:
· Caretaker relatives with a dependent child with a family income below the 1996 Family Care Standard. The family care standard is a monthly income of no more than $362 for a family of 1 and no more than $659 for a family of four.
Eligible Aged, Blind and Disabled include:
· A person receiving SSI
The Medicaid program works like private insurance coverage in many ways. Medicaid pays health insurance providers for covered services after all other medical insurances, including Medicare, have been paid. A Medical Eligibility Card is issued to eligible individuals and allows you to receive medical services from a provider if:
· You are Medicaid eligible on the date the service is received, and
· the services is offered by the Medicaid Program, and
· the provider accepts Medicaid, and
· the provider agrees to bill Medicaid for the service
EqualityCare covers everything from regular checkups, immunizations, and well baby visits to emergency care, hospital visits, prescription drugs, vision, and dental. EqualityCare also covers preexisting conditions.
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