Income-Based MA
What You Pay
Most people who get Medical Assistance (MA) don’t have to pay a monthly premium. And with MA, you also don't pay anything when you get medical care or a prescription drug (there are no copayments)!
Example
Dahlia is on MA and never has to pay a monthly premium. One chilly day in early November, she feels sick and bundles herself up to go to the doctor. When she gets there, the doctor tells Dahlia that she has a bad cold and prescribes her a medication.
As she leaves, Dahlia asks if she owes anything for the visit or the prescription. The receptionist tells her that MA covered everything and that Dahlia doesn't have to pay anything.
Retroactive Coverage
MA allows new enrollees to request coverage retroactively. This means that you can ask to have your MA coverage begin three months before the month you apply. So if you enroll in MA in April but have unpaid medical bills from the previous three months (January, February, and March), you could have MA pay for those unpaid bills.
Compared to Private Insurance
Private insurance plans always have copayments (the amounts can vary) and some plans have a deductible. For example, many private insurance plans can have annual deductibles that require you to pay thousands of dollars before the plan will cover most services and even after the deductible is paid, many private insurance plans require $50 or more in copayments for services.
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