Medicaid is a national program that provides low-income seniors, adults with disabilities and children with government-funded health insurance. Federal law dictates that every Medicaid plan must provide coverage for certain benefits, including:
- Doctor visits
- Emergency, outpatient and inpatient hospital services
- X-rays and medical lab services
- Nursing home care
- Transportation to medical care
Additional state-specific Medicaid benefits, such as case management, personal care, vision and dental care, and rehab services, may be available through waivers.
To be eligible for no-cost
Medicaid in Georgia, seniors must:
- Be aged 65 or older
- Be permanent Georgia residents
- Have U.S. citizenship or hold valid immigration status
- Have a valid Social Security number
- Have monthly earnings of $2,313 or less (individual), or
- Have monthly earnings of $4,626 or less (per couple applying together)
- Own $2,000 or less in countable assets, or
- Own $3,000 or less in joint countable assets (per couple applying together)
Some assets are excluded from the Medicaid limits. These include personal effects, household furnishings, one vehicle and a house, mobile home or condo assessed at $585,000 or less and owned and occupied by the applicant and/or their spouse.
Spousal Income and Asset Limits Special income and asset rules apply to married couples when only one spouse needs Medicaid coverage.
The community spouse can keep up to 50% of the couple’s joint assets up to a maximum value of $126,420. The community spouse can also receive up to $3,160.50 per month of income transferred from the applicant if the community spouse is financially dependent on the applicant.
To apply for Georgia Medicaid, seniors can complete an online application through the
Georgia Gateway or phone the Medicaid hotline at (877) 423-4746.
Medicaid Waivers Georgia has two Medicaid waiver programs that are open to seniors who reside in assisted living facilities, the
Community Care Services Program and
Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment. To qualify for either waiver, seniors must be aged 65 or older, have Medicaid coverage and meet the clinical criteria for nursing home placement.
Services provided by each waiver are assigned based on medical need and may include:
- Adult day health care
- Personal care
- Skilled nursing
- Medical equipment
- Medical supplies
- Home delivered meals
- Case management
- Housekeeping
- Transportation
Seniors may only enroll in one of these two waivers.
For more information on SOURCE, call the
statewide SOURCE care management line at (888) 762-2420.
For more information on the CCSP, contact the
Northwest Georgia Area Agency on Aging at (800) 759-2963.