Medical Assistance (MA): Overview

Medical Assistance (MA) is a public program that helps some people with their medical expenses. How you may qualify depends on your situation, including whether you have a disability, how much income and assets your family has, whether you are pregnant, or if you are a child.

DB101 has three articles that focus on the most common ways people with disabilities qualify for MA:

• Income-based MA covers people with and without disabilities who have low income. > More
• Disability-based MA covers people with disabilities who have low income. > More
• MA-EPD lets people with disabilities who work pay a monthly premium to get MA coverage, no matter how much they make. > More

Any way you qualify, MA will help pay for your visits to the doctor, hospital stays, prescription drugs, personal care assistance (PCA), medical equipment, and other medical services. This includes all services that the government considers Essential Health Benefits (EHBs). If you qualify for disability-based MA or MA-EPD, MA may also pay for MA-Waiver programs, which offer certain additional services for people with disabilities.

This comparison table shows the main differences between income-based MA, disability-based MA, and MA-EPD.

Different Ways of Qualifying for MA

	Income-based MA	Disability-based MA	MA-EPD
Rules:
Age & disability requirements	64 or under	65+ or disability	16-64 and disability
Income limit
Asset limit		$3,000*
You must be working
Monthly premium
Can get at the same time as Medicare
Covers:
Essential Health Benefits
Personal Care Assistance
MA-Waivers
	* No asset limit if under 21

Note: If you have a disability that began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up money and not have it counted for the asset limits for disability-based MA. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

DB101’s Finding the Right Coverage for You interactive guide can help you discover if you may qualify for MA in one of these ways. If not, it will present you with other options. If you need one-on-one help:

• Your county or tribal human services office can answer questions about MA; and
• If you have a disability, Chat with a Hub expert for in-depth help about all disability benefits programs, including MA and MA-EPD.

Read the full articles about income-based MA, disability-based MA, MA-EPD, and MA-Waiver programs to get more details.

Learn how Minnesota benefits can help you get ahead when you work by watching the short video below.

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