Work Incentives for Youth - Health Insurance

Transcription

1 Welcome to this Works for Me webcast series entitled Promoting a Basic Understanding of Work Incentives for Professionals Who Support Youth and Young Adults in Transition. This module addresses different health care possibilities in the event that a young adult gets a job. It covers what changes may happen to existing health insurance, or if there may be a shift in what the insurance looks like for some young people. Thank you for joining us. My name is Frank Schweigert and I will be your presenter. The information provided in this webcast will help support professionals who assist youth and young adults in making knowledgeable decisions about working while receiving benefits. This webcast will also aid in understanding the value of work incentives in helping these young workers be successful, and to eventually move into greater self sufficiency. This training is part of the Works for me Program outreach to help individuals with disabilities to gain competitive employment in integrated settings. The purpose of this training is to help support professionals to share information with the individuals they serve regarding the benefits of working and how working will impact their benefits. Another goal is to provide information that will assist young people to have the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in life without Social Security benefits. This training will also provide support professionals with the resources to respond to questions and share information about work incentives and social security benefits, while assisting individuals and their families in becoming more knowledgeable and hopefully less fearful about working and receiving benefits. 1

2 Please adjust your computer volume so that it is at a comfortable listening level for you. While viewing this webcast, there are pause and rewind buttons that can be used throughout the presentation. These webcasts are narrated slide presentations that are designed to allow learners/participants to review information at their own pace. If technical difficulties occur, please exit the program completely and come back in to reset the webcast to the beginning. There are handouts available with these webcasts to provide additional information about some of the key concepts. To access these handouts, please go to the handouts link where you launched this webcast. 2

3 As of July 1, 2012 the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program (WIPA) was not reauthorized and officially ended on June 30, The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program was designed to help Social Security Beneficiaries to understand work rules and regulations and to access work incentives available under the Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs. Now known as Employment & Benefits Planning, this program is designed to help individuals understand work rules and regulations and to access work incentives available under the SSI and SSDI programs. A Work Incentive Coordinator can meet with you individually to discuss how returning to work will impact your benefits as well as recommend work incentives that can maximize your income and healthcare options as you return to work and achieve greater financial self sufficiency. The staff can also help you to identify and access appropriate Employment Networks and other employment support services that can help you return to work. The former WIPA agencies AHEDD, Disability Rights Network of PA (DRN) and Goodwill Keystone Area will continue to provide these services throughout the Commonwealth. You will hear references to the WIPA Program throughout this training. Please note that this is now the Employment & Benefits Planning Program. 3

4 If a youth/young adult gets a job, what happens to his/her health insurance? 4

5 One concern that young adult beneficiaries may have is maintaining their healthcare if they go to work. This shouldn t be a concern for most people. For most people, they ll be able to maintain their Medicare and/or Medicaid even if they get a job. We re going to spend a couple of minutes talking about how this works. 5

6 An individual may receive no SSDI cash benefit and still remain eligible for Medicare. There is a 24 month waiting period for Medicare which begins with the first month of SSDI check entitlement. If a young person gets a job and earns more money, the cost for Medicare can increase by having small monthly premiums, but usually not so much to be a barrier to working. Medicare costs can vary depending on income or eligibility for other programs. There are Medicare Savings Plans in PA that offer different services and coverage on a scale depending on a person s income level there is something for everyone. Four programs assist in the cost of Medicare: QMB, SLIB (SLMB), QI and QDWI. These programs are administered by the state. They require an application like regular Medicaid and use state rules for countable income and assets. Some increased costs can be avoided by careful planning. This planning should include getting involved with a benefits counselor like someone from the Works Incentives Planning & Assistance Program (WIPA). 6

7 In Pennsylvania, if an individual gets $1 of federal SSI, he or she is eligible for Medicaid. Even if an individual no longer gets an SSI check because he or she is working, he or she may still be eligible for free Medicaid through the 1619(b) program. To maintain eligibility, a Medicaid recipient: Must report income to SSA monthly Must keep resources within $2,000 limit ($3,000 for couple) Must keep earnings under state threshold (varies from state to state) Must keep in mind that unearned income can impact eligibility (SSDI, Pension, Interest, Unemployment, or Spouse s Income) 7

8 Another option for young adults who are working is Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities, or MAWD. MAWD is a medical assistance buy in program for individuals whose income and asset levels exceed the limits for regular Medicaid. An individual does not need to be receiving SSA benefits to participate in MAWD. What MAWD means is that young adults with disabilities who are over the age of 16 can get a full time job, be well paid and still keep their Medical Assistance. Please refer to the handout called Medical Assistance Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (MAWD) for more information. This handout can be found under the Handouts link where you launched this webcast. 8

9 The Transition Health Care Checklist is an invaluable resource for young adults transitioning from school to adult life. To access the checklist, click the link on this slide. The Checklist was created because people recognized that there is a health care information gap for young adults with special healthcare needs. When these young adults leave school, they transition from having different or no insurance coverage, from seeing pediatric specialists to searching for adult medical specialists, and from good coverage for medications to having to understand new systems for obtaining medicines. Working with the State Leadership Team for Transition, agencies, and families, the Transition Health Care Checklist was created to guide youth, families, and professionals during this time of change. The Checklist includes information about what happens to medical insurance after graduation as well as information about adult service agencies, how to connect with these agencies and when to get involved. It s a great resource, so take a few minutes to check it out. 9

10 This presentation was developed with support from a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant funded by the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through a grant to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. If you would like more information about work incentives for youth and young adults, please view the other webcasts in this series. They can be found by going back to the page where you accessed this presentation. You can also visit the Works for Me website at pa.org. This concludes the webcast presentation. Thank you. 10