Laurie Kaye Abraham does an incredible job of explaining the differences between Medicaid and Medicare in the book entitled Mama Might Be Better Off Dead as well as explaining why the family uses which program. According to what was found in the readings, Medicaid is a state and federal health insurance program that is intended for people that are poor. If an individual is poor with Medicaid, the government commitment to providing health care to the recipients does not always provide equality. In addition, Medicare is a government insurance for the elderly. Since Medicaid is a state and federal program that provides health insurance to families that are poor you must have a low income. On the other hand, Medicare is a federal program that would provide health insurance coverage to individuals that are 65 or older or that is diagnosed with a severe disability. If diagnosed with a severe disability, income would not be a factor.
One of the characters in the book, Jackie, which is Robert’s wife, qualified for Medicaid once she went on welfare. Their children were also eligible to receive Medicaid benefits. In addition to the characters, Mrs. Jackson, the grandmother to Jackie, has Medicare that covers her medical bills. Medicare …show more content…
Usually, medical bills that are not covered by a private insurance or Medicare can be counted towards a spend down. In addition, one’s spouse’s medical bills can also be counted towards a spend down. In this case, Mrs. Jackson Medicaid coverage is currently fitful since she was enrolled in the spend down program. Mrs. Jackson only qualified for Medicaid during months that her medical expenses were overly expensive which forced her income to drop below what they call a “medically needy” level that was enforced by the state. Jackie, Robert, nor Mrs. Jackson was ever covered by any private