This article is a section taken from MA for People Who Are Age 65 or Older or People Who Are Blind or Have a Disability (MA-ABD), a part of the revisions and additions to the Minnesota Health Care Program Eligibility Policy Manual.
Medical Spenddowns
A medical spenddown is a cost-sharing approach that allows Medical Assistance (MA) eligibility for people whose income is greater than the applicable income limit. Federal rules refer to this population as “medically needy.”
People with an aged, blind or disabled basis of eligibility, who are not eligible for Medical Assistance for People Who Are Age 65 or Older and People Who Are Blind or Have a Disability (MA-ABD) because they are over the income limit and who have medical expenses may be eligible for MA-ABD with a spenddown.
See the MA for Families and Children Medical Spenddown policy for more information about medical spenddowns for parents, pregnant women, and children.
Topics included in this section are:
MA-ABD Medical Spenddown Types
MA-ABD Spenddown Standard
The spenddown standard for MA-ABD with a spenddown is:
- Before July 1, 2016: 75% FPG
- On or after July 1, 2016: 80% FPG
Legal Citations
Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.811
Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.831
Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.840
Minnesota Statutes, section 256B.056, subdivision 5
CREDIT: The content of this post has been copied or adopted from the Minnesota Healthcare Programs Eligibility Policy Manual, originally published by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
This is also part of a series of posts on Minnesota Healthcare Eligibility Policies.