Medicaid coverage is vital for older adults and people with disabilities, as it includes essential services not covered by Medicare. This coverage is especially crucial for low-income older adults who, due to racism and other forms of systemic discrimination, tend to have higher health needs and limited resources to pay for care.
In New Jersey, as well as in most other states, the very people who need help the most, people with disabilities and people over 65, are subject to more stringent income criteria than people under 65 who gained access to Medicaid through their state’s Medicaid expansion, which generally put the income limit at 138% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
A new fact sheet, Raising the Medicaid Income Limits for Older Adults and People with Disabilities, provides New Jersey advocates and policy makers with a roadmap for ending these coverage inequities and advancing health equity for communities of color. In the Appendix, we draw on statutory examples from New York and California, two states that have addressed the coverage inequities between Medicaid expansion populations and older and disabled populations by raising their Medicaid income limits for older and disabled people.
This is the first fact sheet in a series focused on expanding Medicaid financial eligibility in New Jersey for older adults and people with disabilities.
For more on our work to expand equitable access to health care in New Jersey, see our issue briefs on building equity in long-term care and the HCBS Settings Rule.
