Frequently Asked Questions

Applicants can apply for whatever state they choose. Sometimes someone will want to file an application for a state they don't currently live in. For example, if they are temporarily residing outside the state or have a family member or tax dependent that needs coverage who lives there. When an applicant applies on the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM), they provide their home address and that information is used to validate the eligibility criteria of state residency during the eligibility determination process. If an applicant does not indicate they have a home address in the state they are applying to, and they do not indicate they are temporarily absent from the state, they will be denied Medicaid, CHIP and APTC for that state in accordance with state and federal rules. However, an applicant can always request a full determination, and in doing so, the account is transferred to the state indicated. In order to respond, the state will need to verify residency, and approve or deny Medicaid as applicable.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 198.3 KB)

FAQ ID:91946

The flat file contains only accounts that have been determined/assessed as eligible for Medicaid or referred for a full determination at the applicant's request. If an individual applies at the FFM, is potentially eligible for Medicaid based on income, and does not indicate that he or she is currently enrolled in Medicaid, the FFM does not check for other coverage. The state would do a check with its system as they do when an applicant applies directly to the state and take appropriate action if the person is already enrolled.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 198.3 KB)

FAQ ID:91951

Preventive services include immunizations, screenings for common chronic and infectious diseases and cancers, clinical and behavioral interventions to manage chronic disease and reduce associated risks, and counseling to support healthy living and self-management of chronic conditions, such as those associated with obesity. A list of preventive health care services recommended as Grade A or B by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force can be found at: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Name/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations/.

Through Medicaid's children's benefit - Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) - children under age 21 enrolled in Medicaid are assured coverage for preventive and comprehensive health services. States cover adult preventive services within Medicaid through both mandatory and optional benefit categories. Some preventive services (such as those related to family planning) may be defined in a state's mandatory set of benefits while others may be included in the optional benefit category. As a result, Medicaid programs differ from state to state on the coverage of preventive services for adults.

Obesity-related services are those services that help prevent and manage unhealthy weight. Medicaid and CHIP programs can cover a range of services to prevent and reduce obesity including Body Mass Index (BMI) screening, education and counseling on nutrition and physical activity, prescription drugs that promote weight loss, and, as appropriate, bariatric surgery.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 86.67 KB)

FAQ ID:92666

Affordable Care Act Section 4004(i)(2) calls for "state public awareness campaigns to educate Medicaid enrollees regarding availability and coverage of preventive and obesity related services with the goal of reducing incidences of obesity." The statute tasks states with designing the public awareness campaign because states have a better understanding of what outreach efforts will best meet the needs of their state Medicaid and CHIP population. Activities that provide information to beneficiaries about the preventive and obesity-related services covered in the state's Medicaid and CHIP programs will satisfy the requirement. Federal funding would be available for such activities as administrative costs of the Medicaid and CHIP programs.

Some resources that states may want to consider as they move forward with their activities include:

• Healthy Weight, Healthy People, Healthy Communities page on the Health Resources and Services Administration's website
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity 
• "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012," issued by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

States can receive the 50 percent Medicaid administrative matching rate for public awareness campaign activities, and will receive their existing Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rate for preventive services.

The Affordable Care Act includes additional funding for states that cover Grade A and B recommended services of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and all Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended adult vaccines and their administration without cost sharing. CMS has released separate guidance on that provision which can be found at https://www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/Federal-Policy-Guidance/downloads/SMD-13-002.pdf (PDF, 138.73 KB).

In addition, CMS can provide technical assistance to states with reporting and interventions that they have in place to improve performance on the prevention core measures.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 86.67 KB)

FAQ ID:92671

Yes, if a state has undertaken an initiative to provide information on Medicaid coverage of preventive services since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010 then they have met this requirement.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 86.67 KB)

FAQ ID:92676