Does Medicaid cover me if I am in another state?

Question

I am an Illinois resident, but will become a California resident. I have Illinois Medicaid, but I am moving to California for college.

1.) I want to know if I have to immediately switch health insurance when I get there or is there a certain amount of days of coverage in another state?

2.)How long do I have to wait to apply for Medicaid in California (Medi-Cal)?

Thanks =)

Answer 1

Medicaid is on a state by state basis - IL medicaid will only cover you in CA, for a life threatening emergency.  There's no "automatic coverage" for a certain amount of days, when you move.  

There's no wait.  As soon as you're a resident - ie, as soon as you switch your driver's license over, you can apply.  All you need is that CA address.

Answer 2

No you will not be covered in California under your Illinois Medicaid. Medicaid is primarily funded by the state you live in, so why should the state of Illinois have to pay for health care for someone who lives in California? So you need to be checking on exactly what steps you need to go through to apply for California's medicaid program. And as the other poster said, just because you qualified for it in one state does not mean you will qualify in another state. Each state has their own qualifications to be on it. But I believe all you will have to do is prove you are a resident of the state to apply for it.

Answer 3

You are not covered in CA with out of state medicaid. There is no time requirement on when you should apply. You should apply as soon as you can prove residency. Here is a link:

http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal...

Of course, you will have to meet the eligibility and financial requirements in CA in order to qualify. This info is on the link.