Medicaid

Medicaid provides health insurance to parents/caretakers and dependent children, pregnant women, and people who are aged, blind or disabled. These programs pay for hospital services, doctor visits, prescriptions, nursing home care and other healthcare needs, depending on what program a person is eligible for.

To be eligible for New Jersey Medicaid, a person must:

• be a resident of New Jersey
• be a U.S. Citizen or qualified alien (most immigrants who arrive after August 22, 1996 are barred from Medicaid for five years, but could be eligible for NJ FamilyCare and certain programs for pregnant women)
• meet specific standards for financial income and resources

In addition, a person must fall into one of the following categories:

• Families with dependent children
• People who are 65 years of age or older, blind, or permanently disabled
• Pregnant Women

Within New Jersey Medicaid there are also a number of special programs designed to meet the specific medical needs of certain groups of people who would not otherwise qualify for the program. These include:

• Medical Emergency Payment Program for Aliens
• Home and Community Based Services Waiver Programs (described below)
• NJCEED – New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program
• The Division of Aging Services in the Department of Human Services administers a number of Home and Community-Based Programs for seniors.

For Questions about NJ FamilyCare, call 1-800-701-0710 or your County Welfare Agency.

You can also get information by visiting NJHelps.org, where you can self-screen for eligibility for NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid, as well as for many other social service programs.