Must I give up my Medicare Plan Once I Am on Medicaid?
As an elder care lawyer, my different clients seeking Medicaid long-term-care benefits often ask similar questions. One question I often get pertains to their concern with what happens to their Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage Plan. All Medicaid long-term care enrollees will be forced to choose a SMMC plan - Florida Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Plan.
This is certainly a valid and daunting concern. Not every doctor accepts Medicaid (although many do, including prestigious universities and hospital systems). So Medicaid Long Term Care recipients are worried about having to change doctors or alter therapy regimens.
Does Being on a Florida Medicaid Managed Care Plan Mean Losing Medicare Advantage or Supplement?
Fortunately, the answer is no. Those enrolled in Florida Long Term Care Medicaid SMMC can keep their current Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage plan.
Conceivably, my Medicaid planning clients will have access to more than one source of health insurance.
Usually, in a skilled nursing / nursing home setting, any Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage Plan would be given up in exchange for Original Medicare (you always keep Medicare Part A and B) and a Florida Medicaid Managed Care Plan because all of the nursing-home patient's care is being provided by the nursing home.
If the Medicaid recipient is living at home or in an Assisted Living Facility, they would have the option of maintaining their current Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage Plan in addition to a SMMC plan. However, they could also decide to save money and solely rely on the Statewide Managed Medicaid Plan if that SMMC plan happens to meet their needs.
My Medicaid-planning clients are often relieved when they find out that I am able to give them more health insurance options rather than a pick one-or-the-other. Maintaining existing Medicare health insurance coverage in addition to receiving Medicaid's long-term care benefits is a win-win.
