Anytime a State decides to take part in Medicaid, they must be aware that there is a minimum set of benefits that they should offer for certain groups. They also have the choice to cover additional services and receive federal funds for the cost of those benefits. Nevertheless, the states count on flexibility to design their own benefits package and they will always vary from one state to another.

Among the basic services that must be included within all the packages offered, Medicaid beneficiaries are entitled to receive: nursing home care, hospital care (in as well as outpatients), physician services, x-ray and lab services, family planning services, periodic screening, treatments for children, family planning services, health center and rural health clinic services and nurse midwife and nurse practitioner services.

As said before, the states also have the choice to offer additional services and receive federal matching funds for those services. Within this modality, different kind of attentions can be provided such as prescription drugs, dental care and vision care, institutional care for mentally retarded individuals, personal care for individuals with disabilities, home and community care for elders.

The states manage their own policies of discretion surrounding the amount, duration and scope of the services that they give. Nevertheless, the one thing that must prevail always is that services must be “sufficient in amount, duration, and scope to reasonably achieve its purpose.” This means that the state is not entitled to limit the time coverage of the services provided by Medicaid. Moreover, the states must never condition the services based on the diagnosis or illness of the individual. For example, AIDS patients cannot be excluded from the services under any circumstance and the same goes for elders. AIDS patients and elders are two of the groups who use Medicaid more often.

View more Free Content by covermehealth at GetYourContent.com

Visit CoverMeHealthInsurance.com for all you need to know about Health Insurance Coverage.

Related News

Workers Paying 14% More For Family Health Coverage This Year, USA
The US worker is paying an average of $482 extra this year for family health coverage, 14% more than last year, even though total premiums -including what employers contribute -only rose 3% to an average of $13,770 in 2010, according to a survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research &Educational Trust...

States And Firms Seek Health Reform Funds While Opposing Law
News outlets are reporting that some states and businesses who oppose parts or all of the health reform law are applying for the financial relief it provides...

Study: Health Overhaul's Tax Credit For Small Business Could Affect Millions
A new Commonwealth Fund report estimates that "about 16.6 million workers are employed by small businesses that are eligible for health insurance tax credits" under the new health law but only 3.4 million of them are at companies that will take advantage of the credits, The Washington Post reports, adding that those businesses already offer their employees health insurance...

USA Today: Unprecedented Drop In Medical Spending
The growth rate of health spending is at its slowest in a half-century, "a sign that people are forgoing medical care during the recession," according to an "analysis of government data" by USA Today. "Spending on doctors, hospitals, drugs and other medical care climbed at a 2...

N.Y. Senator Adds Voice To Concern About Credit Cards, Echoing Cuomo's Health Credit Probe
MarketWatch: More warnings about credit cards -including those to pay for health care services -are coming from New York's elected officials. Sen. Charles Schumer sent a letter to the Federal Reserve noting a 256 percent leap in solicitations to consumers for professional and business credit cards...

Target Stores Join Field Of Retail Medicine
Chicago Tribune: "Target Corp., renewing its push into retail medicine, will open eight new clinics in the Chicago area and Palm Beach, Fla., giving a boost to a form of health care delivery that has seen slower growth amid the economic downturn. The Minneapolis-based retail giant launched its first health clinic four years ago but has not been as aggressive as rivals CVS/Caremark Corp...

Report Finds Foreclosures Harm People's Health In California; Wash. Small Business Health Insurance Program Starts To Sign Up Members
San Francisco Chronicle: "A report released Wednesday found foreclosures have not only economic consequences, but create health problems for the people and families involved --and those effects can ripple throughout a community...

Today's OpEds: Medicare Private Plans And The Health Law's Impact On Employer Coverage
Debunking Medicare Myths Kaiser Health News What's needed most today in American health care is innovative change which drives up productivity and value. With the right incentives, that's what the private sector can deliver, even as it's been clear for some time that the federal government cannot do likewise (James Capretta, 9/2)...

Family Health Premiums Rise 3 Percent To $13,770 In 2010, But Workers' Share Jumps 14 Percent As Firms Shift Cost Burden
Workers on average are paying nearly $4,000 this year toward the cost of family health coverage an increase of 14 percent, or $482, above what they paid last year, according to the benchmark 2010 Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research &Educational Trust (HRET)...

Americans Saving More For Health Care In Retirement, First Command Reports
Concerned about rising medical expenses, middle-class Americans are bumping up their monthly retirement savings to cover future health care costs. The First Command Financial Behaviors Index®reveals that average monthly savings solely for health care costs during retirement climbed to $245 in July, up 42 percent from $173 a year ago...