Monterey, CA ViaCare Program Expanded To Mirror Eligibility For Medi-Cal Under The Affordable Care Act

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ViaCare, the county's first foray into expanding health care coverage for the poor under the Affordable Care Act, thankfully has been expanded.  Unfortunately, the reason for the expansion appears to be low demand due to many low-income residents not being aware of the program.  So far, only 1,141 people have applied for ViaCare and 815 have been accepted.  Moving from a test phase which only benefitted a handful of people, the county has expanded the program to allow eligibility if your income is 133% of the federal poverty level, up from 100% under the former program.  This more closely mirrors what the new MediCal eligibility requirements will be.  ViaCare is a short-term stop gap program to provide health insurance to people who will be eligible under the health care reform law, which won't kick in until next year.  There are 27,000 Monterey county residents who will qualify for Medi-Cal under the new rules.  I hope the county is successful in getting the word out that this program is available. There are so many people who don't go to the doctor because they cannot afford to.

http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_23488637/monterey-county-expand-health-coverage-program-low-income

About Richard Kuehn & Hands to Help Seniors:

After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member, it became clear to me that there are many seniors that can't afford to pay for a private duty caregiver, not to mention medical expenses, food and property taxes on their home.  I decided to form a non-profit to help seniors with any service they might need to get by, should they be unable to afford this themselves.  From putting on a new roof to providing a hot meal, Hands to Help Seniors is there to help.  Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:

http://www.h2hs.org/news-and-media.html

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.