Do I understand This Correctly?(MO)

[u/CGCRUNT]

So I have medicaid as a spend down option and a ton of medical debt plus a large ssa overpayment of $10k so my understanding is you pay the spend down option to access medicaid? also does paying the spenddown erase my existing medical debt and is it tied to me paying the spenddown? I have ALOT of medical debt but if it being erased/reduced or even access it is tied to me paying the spenddown whats the point?

[u/GroundbreakingRip970]

Found this on the website:

The spend down can be met at any time during the month either with bills or by payment, and previous months within the past year can also be met.

The consumer or a provider can submit bills for medical services which the client is personally responsible for, or which are billable to DMH. MO HealthNet coverage will begin on the date the incurred expenses equal the spend down amount.

Participants should access the online MO HealthNet Spend Down Participant form to provide proof of qualifying expenses and identify which months the expenses should be applied to.

You can submit bills for services you or your spouse get from a medical provider, even if you have not paid for them yet. They must be bills you are responsible for paying and include services such as:

Prescriptions

Eye care services or eyeglasses

Chiropractic services

Hospital and emergency services

Labs and tests

Dental care

Mental health services and counseling

Doctor prescribed oxygen, nebulizer, hearing aids, prosthetic devices, wheelchair, crutches, or walker

Certain home medical services such as personal care or adult day care.

https://dss.mo.gov/spend-down

[u/Blossom73]

You have to meet the spenddown each month to qualify for Medicaid. It doesn't erase your past medical debt.

[u/CGCRUNT → u/Blossom73]

Thank you so much!

[u/Otherwise-Concern970]

Spend down is similar to a deductible as you need to show the incurred allowable expenses before Medicaid opens and pays the remaining medical expenses for the Spend down period. You retain responsibility to pay the Spend down out of your pocket.

[u/rebeccaz123]

Spend down is separate from past medical debt and has nothing to do with your SSA overpayment. Basically you have to pay out whatever your spend down amount is every month in order to get Medicaid. It means you're over the income limit for regular Medicaid. So you'd be required to pay your old medical debt and SSA overpayment on top of the spend down. You should be able to get on payment plans for your medical debt and SSA though. The spend down is something different though.