Are you a disabled adult who wants to earn more income and still get Medicaid coverage? Read this!
If you’re a disabled working adult, or you want to start working, you may be afraid that you’ll earn too much money and be disqualified from being able to get Medicaid medical insurance, or that you’ll be dropped from your current Medicaid coverage. Learn about the Adult Buy-in Program that will allow you to earn more money and keep your medical coverage. You may have to pay a small monthly premium, but it is nominal when compared to the premiums you would pay for private health insurance!
The Health First Colorado Buy-In Program for Working Adults with Disabilities lets adults with a disability qualify to ‘buy-in’ to Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program). It is called the Colorado Buy-In Program for Working Adults with Disabilities (WAWD) program. If you work and earn too much to qualify for Health First Colorado (aka, MAGI Medicaid) you may qualify for this buy-in program. If you qualify, you pay a monthly premium. Your monthly premium is based on your gross monthly earned and unearned income after any applicable exclusions.
The Health First Colorado (Medicaid) Buy-In Program for Children with Disabilities (or the ‘Children's Buy-In) is a different program for people who are 18 years old or younger. Learn about it in DB101's Benefits for Young People article. Or learn more HERE at the HCPF website.
The Colorado state Medicaid agency Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) has info on their website HERE. There is additional information on the state disability benefits website ‘DB101 HERE.
Many people with disabilities worry that if they start to work and earn more money, they’ll lose their Health First Colorado (Medicaid) coverage. The Health First Colorado Buy-In Program For Working Adults With Disabilities (Medicaid Adult Buy-In) means that you don’t have to be afraid. This program encourages people with disabilities to work to their potential while maintaining Medicaid insurance.
With the Medicaid Adult Buy-In (called WAWD for short), if you have a disability and work, you can earn more and keep your Health First Colorado Medicaid coverage. The Medicaid Adult Buy-In pays for almost all the same services that standard Health First Colorado Medicaid covers, including doctor visits, hospital stays, medical equipment, home care services, and mental health services. You will likely have to pay a small monthly premium of $200 or less.
A person can use the Working Adult with Disabilities Adult Buy-In Program and Medicare at the same time, if you qualify. If you have both, the Medicaid Adult Buy-In will help pay your Part B premium. People who qualify for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) SSDI insurance get Medicare health insurance 24 months after their official SSA application date for SSDI. They may also qualify for Medicaid insurance, and they must apply per their state process.
To qualify for the Medicaid Adult Buy-In, you must be a U.S. citizen or qualifying noncitizen, at least 16 years old, have a disability, be working, and have $5,648 or less in monthly countable income, which means you could actually earn as much as $11,380 per month! Not all of your income counts, it is a bit complicated.
Example: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) counts most unearned income, but a bit less than half of earned income. So, if you have $500 in unearned income and $500 in earned income, your countable income for SSI would be just $697.50, even though your actual total income would be $1,000. Other programs, such as disability-based Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and Medicare Savings Programs often use calculations similar to SSI's.
You will get regular Health First Colorado benefits with SSI. And many people also qualify for one of Colorado’s HCBS Medicaid waivers. A Medicaid waiver is a life-transforming safety net of waiver-funded support services for eligible people with disabilities and is the best disability benefit for not only supporting a disabled working adult, but also that person’s family, especially if he or she is still living at home with the parents. Each waiver has specific eligibility criteria. This is the best way to live as independently as possible in the community.
Applying for a waiver is tough in our state’s chaotic and overburdened disability benefits system, so if you’re interested in applying for a Colorado Medicaid waiver, our program, The Roadmap for the Waiver Journey, is the best way to get the knowledge you need to successfully complete the application process. Learn more at an upcoming information session.
See details about each adult Colorado Medicaid waiver for eligibility and the services available on each waiver:
Enough about waivers… now back to the Adult Buy-in Program for Medicaid medical insurance! You have to pay monthly premiums based on your income to be in the program. The more you make, the more you pay. See premium rates below.
Effective Date: April 1, 2024 based on 2024 Federal Poverty Level (FPL). *Some people earning more may still qualify.
Get information on how to apply for the Buy-In Program for Working Adults with Disabilities HERE.
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As a working disabled adult, there are many great disability benefits available that can help you keep your Medicaid coverage and give you access to support services including various types of therapies, job assistance and more. I’m here to help you figure out what will help you create your best possible life!