I live in Missouri my Medicare doesn’t care that I pay almost 400 and rent and I have a car and just paid 300 to fix it and they want me to pay a sped down of almost $300. How can I get help with that?
I assume that you mean Medicaid, not Medicare, is that correct? Your spend down is usually the amount that must be spent in order for you to qualify for Medicaid help. You have to qualify both physically (in that you must prove need) as well as financially (which means you must have "less than" some dictated amount that is designated by your state, in this case Missouri.
When you say "they want me to pay a spend down of almost 300.00" do you mean IN TOTAL? because you could do that in one day at the grocery store. Or do you mean monthly as in your monthly income is too high according to income and yours monthly costs?
I would contact whomever gave you these numbers, because I cannot really understand just who wants what here. I cannot know if you correctly filled out your paperwork and if you included all monthly costs you have (utilities/ everything else).
I would look for legal aid, would try to get a social worker to help with applications and etc and explanations. Each individual case is so difficult and so dependent on your state and its rules that it would be difficult for a forum of strangers from all around the world to do much but wish you luck. Which we DO. I hope you will find someone to help you.
Your income is $1,300 a month and your rent is $400 a month? I'd say you're pretty lucky to be getting a rent for $400 a month which at that cheap price is probably subsidized and includes basic utilities. You also don't pay property tax or homeowner's insurance. You're on Medicaid so you don't pay for health insurance either which is a huge cost (my combined health insurance cost with my husband and son is your monthly income with a big deductible). Your rent being so low at $400 a month, you would likely qualify for SNAP benefits (food stamps) also.
So this leaves you with $1,100 dollars a month for things like care insurance, gas, and incidentals.
Learn how to budget money better. Do you have any expensive habits like smoking, drinking, gambling, or eating out that you could cut out to save money?
I was a homecare worker for a long time. While I was earning my living and often having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for supper because I had to make the rent and bills, many of my care clients were collecting their living and still complaining.
I remember one client (among many exactly like her) in particular. On SSI disability because she never worked and was disabled from morbid obesity and alcoholism . She'd often cry and complain and try to hit me up to "lend" her some money because the governent who already paid for her housing, utilities, food, health insurance, and a servant (myself) to cook her food, clean her apartment, drive her around, run her errands, and entertain her.
One day when she was sitting at the table smoking, eating her usual fast-food lunch, and scratching off lottery tickets she started to complain about how poor she was. I pointed at her three vices and told her that I work sometimes up to 60 hours a week but couldn't afford all that she could.
Study your household budget and what you spend money on. Then find things you can do without to save. Then save. If you can't keep your money in a bank account because of Medicaid spend-down rules, don't. Get a safety deposit box at the bank and save it in cash. You know a Rainy Day Fund. So when an unexpected expense like a car repair comes up, you can draw on that money.
Do you have Medicare and are applying for Medicaid, the reason for spend-down?
Yes, your money is tight. Income does not include all that money for car repairs. It just doesn't. You may not be able to use your car. You can file a planned non-operation of vehicle (PNO).
Review your budget, tighten the reigns even tighter. Get food from food banks, or apply for EBT.
There is hope, because your rent is just under 1/3rd of your income.
Your budget will be very tight, and you need to seek help with food and clothing free.
Why is there a spend down? Medicare does not do a spend down; but it does have a monthly premium if you are on Original Medicare. Or is this actually Medicaid that you are referring to and you are on a Medicaid program with a share of cost requirement?
Now, If this is about Medicare having a PartB premium of $175 a month taken from your Social Security retirement income every month, that is a fixed and firm cost to be on Original Medicare. However all States have buy-in program for low income / disabled, the Medicare Savings Program aka the MSP, which ties into your being a “dual” so on Medicaid as your secondary health insurance with Medicare as your primary health insurance with the State taking care of any & all premiums. To get onto a MSP, You would need to apply for low income Medicaid as health insurance and then file also for the MSP at the same time. If you have community / public health center in your city or the Area on Aging Office, there should be someone at either who can get you started on this.
the Medicare Savings Program also will pay for those who did not have the SSA 40 work quarters to be able to get Part A Medicare premium free and are stuck with a premium for Part A. It’s about 700,000 on this system nationally, a pretty small number.
States do the MSP as it shifts a lot of the cost for health care to being paid by the federal government rather than just purely paid by State Medicaid.
My guess is $400 could be subsidized apt or a congregate housing situation. They are below market rates housing in most areas that do subsidized.
For those who are on SSA SSI / supplemental security income system, allowable rent tends to be 1/3 of their SSI. SSI max is $943.00 a month. Some get less than that. It’s a real real narrow program for its rules.
Your spend down is usually the amount that must be spent in order for you to qualify for Medicaid help. You have to qualify both physically (in that you must prove need) as well as financially (which means you must have "less than" some dictated amount that is designated by your state, in this case Missouri.
When you say "they want me to pay a spend down of almost 300.00" do you mean IN TOTAL? because you could do that in one day at the grocery store. Or do you mean monthly as in your monthly income is too high according to income and yours monthly costs?
I would contact whomever gave you these numbers, because I cannot really understand just who wants what here. I cannot know if you correctly filled out your paperwork and if you included all monthly costs you have (utilities/ everything else).
I would look for legal aid, would try to get a social worker to help with applications and etc and explanations. Each individual case is so difficult and so dependent on your state and its rules that it would be difficult for a forum of strangers from all around the world to do much but wish you luck. Which we DO. I hope you will find someone to help you.
So this leaves you with $1,100 dollars a month for things like care insurance, gas, and incidentals.
Learn how to budget money better. Do you have any expensive habits like smoking, drinking, gambling, or eating out that you could cut out to save money?
I was a homecare worker for a long time. While I was earning my living and often having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for supper because I had to make the rent and bills, many of my care clients were collecting their living and still complaining.
I remember one client (among many exactly like her) in particular. On SSI disability because she never worked and was disabled from morbid obesity and alcoholism . She'd often cry and complain and try to hit me up to "lend" her some money because the governent who already paid for her housing, utilities, food, health insurance, and a servant (myself) to cook her food, clean her apartment, drive her around, run her errands, and entertain her.
One day when she was sitting at the table smoking, eating her usual fast-food lunch, and scratching off lottery tickets she started to complain about how poor she was. I pointed at her three vices and told her that I work sometimes up to 60 hours a week but couldn't afford all that she could.
Study your household budget and what you spend money on. Then find things you can do without to save. Then save. If you can't keep your money in a bank account because of Medicaid spend-down rules, don't. Get a safety deposit box at the bank and save it in cash. You know a Rainy Day Fund. So when an unexpected expense like a car repair comes up, you can draw on that money.
Yes, your money is tight. Income does not include all that money for car repairs. It just doesn't. You may not be able to use your car. You can file a planned non-operation of vehicle (PNO).
Review your budget, tighten the reigns even tighter. Get food from food banks, or apply for EBT.
There is hope, because your rent is just under 1/3rd of your income.
Your budget will be very tight, and you need to seek help with food and clothing free.
Can you move someone in?
Now, If this is about Medicare having a PartB premium of $175 a month taken from your Social Security retirement income every month, that is a fixed and firm cost to be on Original Medicare. However all States have buy-in program for low income / disabled, the Medicare Savings Program aka the MSP, which ties into your being a “dual” so on Medicaid as your secondary health insurance with Medicare as your primary health insurance with the State taking care of any & all premiums. To get onto a MSP, You would need to apply for low income Medicaid as health insurance and then file also for the MSP at the same time. If you have community / public health center in your city or the Area on Aging Office, there should be someone at either who can get you started on this.
the Medicare Savings Program also will pay for those who did not have the SSA 40 work quarters to be able to get Part A Medicare premium free and are stuck with a premium for Part A. It’s about 700,000 on this system nationally, a pretty small number.
States do the MSP as it shifts a lot of the cost for health care to being paid by the federal government rather than just purely paid by State Medicaid.
For those who are on SSA SSI / supplemental security income system, allowable rent tends to be 1/3 of their SSI. SSI max is $943.00 a month. Some get less than that. It’s a real real narrow program for its rules.