Help applying for Medicaid

twogees

Wed, Nov 25 2015, 8:17 pm

I did it on my own thru the NYS Market place. took 30 min or so of my time but was worth it for me as I worked full time and needed to apply as I was expecting (did it feb 2015) but would have gone to achiezer if I hadnt been able to do it on my own.

amother

Silver

Wed, Nov 25 2015, 9:24 pm

twogees wrote:

Ofc you can do it on your own. But Mrs s somehow expedites the process and it comes asap instead of your papers languishing. She gets it processed quicker, that's why you would go to someone for this stuff

Smile1234

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 1:01 am

amother wrote:

Does anyone know how much money they charge to apply and/or recertify?

Iirc I paid $60 in April 20145 to renew my son's Medicaid through Nachas. In 2015 I did it on my own by mail and I don't remember paying anything but I could be remembering wrong.

amother

Beige

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 8:57 am

amother wrote:

I HATE when I see people pay stupid fees for things they can do themselves perfectly well. Any application filled out completely will not languish.

People worry about how to present cash income on the forms. For those that are not completely above board there are community organizations to help for free.

amother

Burgundy

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 10:45 am

amother wrote:

At least three times that I've done it myself and mailed it in with registered mail, I've lost my insurance because they claim that they never received it even though I have proof that they did. Go fight City Hall-Literally. At this point I pay someone fifty dollars to take care of it for me so that when I have an issue they deal with it. For some reason they always get through to HRA (direct line).

amother

Beige

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 11:04 am

amother wrote:

This makes no sense unless you keep mailing it into the wrong address. Three times to make the same mistake and lose your insurance over this is a very strange story. Why didn't you call and see if your form was received the second time you mailed it in?

I handle this for my in laws. It is very simple. Call and speak to them. They are very nice and will not only tell you when they received the application, but the expected date of action. I had no problem getting through and I had no special number. One trick might be to call first thing in the morning rather then lunchtime or at the end of the day.

The form is paint by numbers and requires no special skills. Incomplete forms and forms mailed to the wrong address will be bounced understandably.

Some friends went to Rabbi Horowitz's community organization in Monsey and asked Rabbi Horowitz about paying the "Medicaid Lady" to do it for them after I told them it is a diy project. He agreed with me.

There are no special numbers, nor special tricks to get Medicaid.

amother

Magenta

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 11:24 am

When I do the recertification myself it always gets lost in the mail. They are famous for making things disappear without a trace. Ive heard the same from countless people.

They really know how to make life difficult for you. It can get dragged for months.

Best option is to pay the fee for someone responsible who deals with the headache and makes sure it gets done promptly and efficiently.

MagentaYenta

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 12:47 pm

I had never heard of anyone paying someone to complete their medicaid forms until I came to Ima. In my state you can apply online. About 72 hours after submitting the forms I get a hard copy application, filled in with my data and I make my copies, take it back to the office with my supporting documentation. There is a drop box with a time stamp next to it. I make a copy of the top sheet with the time stamp (the copier is right there) and I put the original in the drop box.

amother

Beige

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 1:22 pm

amother wrote:

Best option is to do it online yourself. You don't need to pay fees.

I did it perfectly first time for someone else.

amother

Burgundy

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 1:45 pm

amother wrote:

Best option is to do it online yourself. You don't need to pay fees.

I did it perfectly first time for someone else.

I did that and then got a letter in the mail stating that I need to mail in documentation (proof of income).....which brings me back to square one....

Amarante

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 1:50 pm

I can see both sides. For 99% of the people, there is no need to pay someone to take care of something that is easily done. Many people have proof of income in the system because their tax returns are linked.

Before rushing to pay somebody to do something, I would attempt to do it myself and save the money. It's not an enormous sum but if someone is poor enough to need Medicaid, I would suspect $50 or so dollars could be put to better use.

But it appears the service in Long Island is free and not for profit.

amother

Beige

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 1:53 pm

amother wrote:

I did that and then got a letter in the mail stating that I need to mail in documentation (proof of income).....which brings me back to square one....

You are not capable of mailing in the documentation? Do you think someone else can address an envelope better than you?

Unless you are earning over $160, 000 a year then it is not worth it to pay someone to do this for you. Since we are talking about Medicaid, that is not the case. This is a junk fee and it is exploiting the poor. It gets me angry that people charge for this.

If you are really incapable of addressing an envelope, there are community organizations that will do it free or Medicaid has people to help for free.

BTW I often see Medicaid insurers in booths at malls and community fairs. They will gladly help.

MagentaYenta

Thu, Nov 26 2015, 1:58 pm

amother wrote:

I did that and then got a letter in the mail stating that I need to mail in documentation (proof of income).....which brings me back to square one....

No it is not square one, it's how the process works. Once your income is documented all is well.