Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In Eligibility for Young People

If you get a job and are making too much money or have saved up too much money to get Medicaid, you might qualify for Alaska's Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In program. The Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In offers the same coverage as standard Medicaid, but you may have to pay a monthly premium to keep your coverage.

To qualify for the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In, you must:

• Be 18 or older
• Be a U.S. citizen or a qualified immigrant
• Be working or have a spouse who is working
• Have a disability that meets Social Security’s medical standards for adults
  • For the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In, SSA’s disability rules related to income do not apply.
• Have unearned income at or below $1,751 per month
  • If you are married, the limit is $2,593 and your spouse's deemed unearned income is also counted.
• Have household countable income at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG), including other members of your family you live with. That’s $3,919 per month if you live alone.
  • Almost all of your unearned income is counted, but less than half of your earned income is counted. For the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In, your income is counted using SSI’s countable income calculation.
• Have less than $10,000 in resources ($15,000 for couples). Money in an ABLE account, the house you live in, and one car are not counted.

If you get Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In coverage, you may need to pay a monthly premium. The amount you pay is based on your income and your family’s income. To see what you might have to pay, try DB101's School and Work Estimator.

How to Apply for the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In

You can apply for the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In:

• Online, using HealthCare.gov or myAlaska
• By filling out the DPA Application for Services or DPA Medicaid Application for Adults and Children with Long Term Care Needs and submitting it:
  • In person or by mail to any Division of Public Assistance (DPA) office
    
  • By email to hss.dpa.offices@alaska.gov, or
    
  • By fax to 1-888-269-6520.
• By phone at 1-800-478-7778

If you use an application form, you can also apply for other benefits at the same time, such as Adult Public Assistance (APA), SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), and Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP). If you apply for the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In online, you have to apply for other benefits separately.

If you don't qualify for the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In, you may be able to get private insurance subsidized by the government through tax credits.

Learn more about the Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In in DB101’s How Health Benefits Work article.