New Jersey has a lot of roads to eligibility for Medicaid, and that’s a good thing. All of those roads are called NJ FamilyCare, and that’s a confusing thing.
Medicaid in New Jersey is provided by five Managed Care Organizations (MCO) now through NJ FamilyCare. You must choose one to get services, including long-term services and supports (LTSS), which will be coordinated by the MCO care manager.
If you began to receive Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare benefits because you were income- eligible and without other creditable health coverage (in other words, you receive Medicaid through the Obamacare Medicaid expansion), you could lose your Medicaid coverage if you have a change in your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) or you obtain other coverage (like Medicare). Unless you are eligible for Medicaid through another pathway (called Aged, Blind or Disabled, or ABD) you will lose services.
For example, if a person with limited income and no insurance had an unexpected illness and spent time in the hospital, it is likely that the hospital got the person on Medicaid through Obamacare, enrolled the person in an MCO, treated that person, and then discharged that person to a rehabilitation facility, where long-term care would also be covered. However, if there is a later increase in income which would allow that person to purchase subsidized insurance, Medicaid will be discontinued and there will no longer be a payor for the nursing facility or other long-term care setting. Hence, the need to scramble for ABD, which can co-exist with other insurance coverage.
Planning for ABD Medicaid could include: spending down resources, establishing a Qualified Income Trust for income, establishing a Special Needs Trust for assets, or other planning that could involve a spouse or disabled or minor child. In the case of a special needs trust, this type of planning must be done before your 65th birthday.
New Jersey’s Medicaid expansion benefit package does include, via federal waiver, MLTSS–so you must always think about how your eligibility category might change and how to maintain the benefits you currently have. It can be a very difficult process, but we can help–call us at 732-382-6070.