How Can Homeless Get Insurance?


What is a person supposed to do when their homeless and in need of medical care very badly such as dental , mental health , vision and most important is the hep c virus their homeless and attention like yesterday and they cant find a job due to the fact they have a record and their trying but no one is willing to help please tell me what to do to help this person.

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how do I prove im homeless

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Great question. I do not know the answer to that one. Here is some info on that though: http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/register-homeless-6742.html

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I am a case manager for a transitional living program in the state of NH, I am trying to figure out if someone who is homeless qualifies under medically frail ( due to them being classified as homeless under federal guidelines ) The youth in the program are required to get a job ( most of these jobs are minimum wage ( but just enough that they do not qualify for insurance unless they are deemed medically frail )
My real question here is
Does someone qualify as being medically frail due to being homeless ?

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Great question. My research didn’t turn up anything on homelessness being a criteria for medically frail. That doesn’t mean it isn’t the case, it only means I couldn’t find that it was the case. Generally from what I saw, it had to be medical condition. Please comment if you find a definitive answer, I’m sure it would help others.

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The homeless may be out of luck. Where would they mail your medical insurance card to? In a weird way I can see that because Medicaid is a state and federal program. To access state programs you must be a resident of that state. How else do you prove you live in that state without a stable address? They want your taxes.

Hi my name is helen and i am homeless . I need to see a dentist i havent had dental work since 2008 my teeth are gone and the remaining teeth are ready to fall out please i need insurance asap thk u

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Any public hospital or local assistance center is almost always the answer (as they will help point you in the right direction in most cases). Any sort of public institution involved in charity or public assistance in any form is alway smart in terms of getting local help (especially since not every state expanded Medicaid).

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We are homeless right now in Mississippi and have on going medical issue. My husband works but not enough to make to pay for the medical care we both need. what can we do?

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I would always suggest contacting a local public hospital and local assistance places. You can also try calling the state Medicaid department. Mississippi is not renowned for their poverty programs (to say the least), but every state has a mix of private and public options that can be looked into.

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I live in Tennessee. I’m homeless staying at a friends.. I. Need dental some of my teeth are messed up and broken… I need mental health.. I have PTSD., ADHD. BIPOLAR BORDERLINE…. I NEED MEDICAL I was in a accident with a big truck. I went face 1st tbrew side window and slamed my chest on that bar around window.. My back is in a lot of pain. I don’t have a way to get to the doctor .so I need me medical so I can call a cab to take me.. What should I do.?

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How can a homeless person get healthcare if their state did not expand Medicaid?

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Local charity is usually the only option. If that fails, you can always show up at a public hospital in an emergency.

The reality of the situation is that we have millions without access to care because some states have not expanded Medicaid and there is no good way to frame that. It hurts homeless people, it hurts lower income single adults, and it hurts the working poor.

Currently Republicans are saying they want to block-grant public programs like this. That at best means all states will expand in their own way, but at worst means less funding for states that do expand and an excuse to trim down public programs in more conservative states.

I think we should all be worried here, but better than worried, we should be active in demanding a healthcare law that works and doesn’t leave millions of low-income Americans in the dust.

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Yep, sold house and bought an RV….on Disability. How do I get Medical Insurance from ACA if we don’t have an address?

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I would call healthcare.gov on that. I am actually not sure of that detail, but certainly one can get assistance (especially Medicaid) without a permanent address.

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I have been denied Medicaid TWICE in the state of Ohio; the first time was because I was living with family and they counted THEIR income and said I was NOT eligible. The second time I applied because I am homeless, and provided as much as I possibly could, and they denied me BECAUSE “no proof of income”…. This cant possibly be right?… I gave them my W2 that I received, bank statements showing $0.00 in my account, written letters from my parents saying that I receive no money or assistance (just the use of their mailbox) from them, along with outstanding bills from the ER…. if this website says I can’t be denied, then why am I?

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In Oregon do homeless people have the right to sign up for Obamacare without an address to get signed up?

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Question on how homeless sign up for the ACA, do they need an address or home state? I am curious because I know someone who desperately needs healthcare but he travels between states all the time, has no home, no address, no phone number…does not file taxes but doesn’t think he could get insurance or healthcare.

He moves south in the winter to warmer states and north in the summer, never to the same area’s all over the place. I’m not even sure if he is still alive I only see him randomly when he is in the area and stops by for a visit.

As a result he can’t call anyone (no phone) and pay phones are all gone in my area, so how would he go about signing up for it? No phone, no address and no transportation other than his own two feet.

I’ve tried to help him sign up but he says he was told he needs an address and couldn’t give one.

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This is a straight lie! My family has been struck by poverty and homelessness and in two different states. In both situations, the state did not expand Medicaid so my family members could not get medicaid. They also were both denied healthcare under ACA because they were too poor. I think we need to stop the smoke and mirrors act! They did not have affordable options and have fines years without healthcare. The so called public hospitals sent $1200 bills for X-rays due to my family member breaking her back! That is not public assistance! Straight lies!

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I’ve had 2 back surgery s ,have hep-c with stage4 chirosis and just had a heart attack. I’ve filed disability over a year ago and live in Texas. The only time I can get medical help is when something bad happens like my recent heart attack, but the refered to a digestive health and cardiovascular doctor who won’t see me because I’m indigent and can’t work. What can I do?

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The best answers I know in a place like Texas are 1. Seek local private assistance 2. ask the local public hospital 3. check with state Medicaid and Medicare to see if you qualify for anything based on your condition and/or income.

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I’m homeless know money I need enshriens in Salem Oregon

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how can I get health care for me and my wife we are homeless with no money

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Great to know I’m covered, but I still can not find out how to set it up and no one seems to know how to help me.

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I am unemployed since September and have no address. I travel between states. How can I get covered? Is an address required to apply? Where and how do I apply if I have no state of residence? I last paid rent in ID, have an AZ License, CA plates, and I think I’m registered to vote in UT.

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You have to apply from your primary residence. I’m not sure exactly what to do with no primary residence, this is a question for healthcare.gov.

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People can’t comprehend out of the “normal” state. I’M IN the same situation. I need my medication for my chronic pain & I lost my home in California and had to move to Seattle area to couch surf until I find a job, but until I’m settled I need health insurance to get my medication! !!!! HELP

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Applied for GA twice,as per DCPP ,who…ripped my heart out by taking my Grandkids. From an unsafe hotel they places us in.placing the in abusive foster care.This affected their insurance and mine.Cost us life as we knew it.Home,family a completely separated,family pet,security, trust and answers for the future. Social setvice denied me.did not have home.living out of friends car. Have assess to money not meant for my use in my checking for granddaughters ssi.I have lupus,diabetic,sjogtens syndrome, thyroid, Rheumatoid arthritis, no medication or insurance.my entire life erased for unfounded accusations.

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The question was “homeless” not “poor” – you answered what you implied from the question not the question itself; healthcare insurance makes a dangerous assumption that people have a consistency of address, requiring one to enter one’s zip code, implying that they have a permanent abode; the question here means how does someone without an address get insurance when the insurance requires that a person have an address. Not everyone has a ‘permanent abode’ and mandating that all people have health insurance should have been more inclusive of the fact that some people can’t alway definitively answer that question; nor should people be obligated to have an abode in order to even apply for insurance which the requirements (“enter your zip code”, or “verify your address”) imply. Makes a very naive assumption and imposes this upon everyone where it actually does not necessarily apply. A swathe of people might not apply simply because they’re not sure how to fill that box, or the implications of just putting in a zip code just to enter one. People who don’t have this consistency are penalized by this mandate. This issue should be more specifically addressed.

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Excellent summary of the issue. Some may have enough income to buy a subsidized plan or may be eligible for Medicaid but don’t have an address to give the insurance company. RVers with pensions are an example. I have never seen comments as to using a mail forwarding street address or a friends home. Don’t know if that’s OK or not per ACA and insurance company regulations. Anyone know?

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Exactly!!! My father is a truck driver. He lives in his truck and stays in hotels because he doesn’t see the point in paying rent when he is home only a few days a month. He’d rather pay for what he uses, which is one or two nights at $50/night at a hotel, where heat, water, electric, TV is included, rather than paying monthly for an empty home. I’m trying to find him insurance, but what am I supposed to put down for his address? He is mostly in FL, I am in NY. I can’t get him under my address since he is never in NY. What is someone like him supposed to do? Also, he doesn’t make much money at all and doesn’t have savings. Making him pay a penalty is just cruel!

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That is a great point. I would call healthcare.gov. I know not having an address won’t prevent you from having coverage. But it does i’m sure complicate the paperwork a bit.

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How can one enroll without an address? As far as I know the insurance company needs it as premiums and providers are based on the area you live in.
Has anyone been told otherwise by the Healthcare exchange?
Maybe a PO box or UPS store can be used?

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Hi!
I am a graduate student who is interested in researching the policy issues existing in the healthcare access for non-emergent care of the homeless population. I was wondering whom I can discuss breifly with regarding the issues the homeless face in accessing healthcare and the policies that are in place to facilitate them seeking non-emergent medical attention and whether there are flaws in the system in place that could necessitate policy reform. THIS IS FOR SCHOLATIC PURPOSES ONLY. Is there anyone in authority who could spare a few minutes to discuss this matter (via telephone or email?)
Thank you!
Regards,
Kathy

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I am filing taxes and was not able to get Medicare in the state of Georgia. I was homeless and do not want the Obamacare to take money out of my return as I am a student and am claiming a tax credit. What do I do when I file my taxes to say, ” I was homeless and cannot be penalized for not having health insurance”? I also have worked and make only 500 a month and was told on numerous occasions I did not meet the income requirement for Obamacare, my state denied my Medicaid.

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If you have income above the tax filing limit or want to file to claim assistance you’ll use form 8965 to claim all exemptions. You likely qualify for more than one. You can get assistance in understanding the form from local tax assistance or get basic information from HealthCare.Gov. https://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-exemptions-list/

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So am I understanding this correctly? I have 2 brothers who were arrested last week on drug charges. They both have apparent anger/mental illness and both have turned to drugs to cope bc they can’t afford to see a Dr and be put on medicine to help them mentally. I’ve tried for days to get them on medicaid so that we can get them the help they desperately need. When they’re not in jail, they live in a van. What are we supposed to do? Let them overdose on drugs? Look away when they explode from anger issues? They can’t help themselves until they’re no longer on drugs and unfortunately, it’s as easy to get IN jail as it is on the street

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If you are in a state that didn’t expand Medicaid, then yes, outside of local assistance programs (public and private) there is no real insurance based solution for people in this situation. The morality of not providing coverage to them is questionable as a society (opinion), but morals aside “cost” was the deciding factor outside of ideology for the 20 states who have left over 5 million Americans in situations like this.

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I’m sorry hope and change Obama failed your brothers. We are paying $26,000 a year in Obamacare plus another $13,000 deductible before we see any benefits. We can’t afford our insurance and it sounds to me those that really need help can’t get any. What is the point of Obamacare if it doesn’t help people ?

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I live in florida and i am homeless. I stay at friends when i can but mostly im on the street. I have a siezure disorder and medicaid here doesnt consider me disabled. I also had major back surgury in 2005 and it did not work and it has gotten worse. Im also having serious female issues and can barely function some days. What can i do? This enail is a friends so it may be a few days before i can read a reply. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide me

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Florida did not expand Medicaid, so there aren’t as many options for someone with no income as there are in other states. That being said, states can change their eligibility rules moving forward (so it’s always worth applying again). Keep in mind that hospitals can’t turn away an emergency medial situation and also some charities do exist to help people. Any local shelter, public hospital, and some other places that offer assistance (including state Medicaid offices) can offer local help and may know about specific options in your area.

http://www.myflfamilies.com/contact-us <---- Your state Medicaid office contact information.

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