CompleteCare Offers Assistance and Health Care to Medicaid Patients

The opportunity for more New Jersey residents than ever before to have access to affordable health care is here, due in large part to Governor Chris Christie’s support of Medicaid expansion New Jersey. 2013 estimates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show that around 10,925 Cape May County residents were uninsured and 2,681 are now eligible for NJ FamilyCare, New Jersey’s Medicaid program.
In the past Medicaid was mainly available to children and expectant mothers, but because of the expansion many adults many now qualify for the program, depending on their family size and income levels. Those who have been legal US residents for five years or more and have income below 133% of the federal poverty level (below $20,629 per year for a family of two) are eligible for the program at little or no change for monthly costs or copayments.
“From time to time we hear people worry that if they go on Medicaid the quality of their care or their access to good doctors will suffer and they still won’t get the health care they need,” said Kim Tweed, Enrollment Coordinator for CompleteCare Health Network. “Medicaid is a very comprehensive program, covering most things from doctor and dental visits to eyeglasses, hospitalization, prescriptions and many other services for the patient. Medicaid can really help someone get healthy and stay healthy once they know where they can use their coverage.”
Locally, CompleteCare continues to accept Medicaid for primary care, dental, OB/GYN and all other specialty services offered at their three Cape May County locations, including evening and weekend walk-in health services at the RiteCare location in the Rio Grande ShopRite. They offer board-certified physicians and have been recently re-accredited by the Joint Commission, the only health center of its kind to earn the Gold Seal from the commission.
In the Cape May Court House and Wildwood offices, CompleteCare also offers help in applying for NJ FamilyCare with one of their specially trained Financial Counselors. “We recommend that patients make an appointment to meet with the counselor,” said Tweed. “They will need to bring certain, necessary documents with them, including income and residency information and from there the counselor can help them complete the process and see if they might be eligible.”
Those who don’t qualify for NJ FamilyCare can also receive assistance in signing up for health insurance at CompleteCare. If a patient meets with a counselor and is not eligible for NJ FamilyCare or if they know they are over the income level for Medicaid, they can see a Certified Application Counselor who can help them complete an application through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Open enrollment for the marketplace runs until March 31, 2014 and won’t reopen until November 15, 2014.
To schedule an appointment at CompleteCare, call 609-465-0258 or visit www.CompleteCareNJ.org. To learn more about NJ FamilyCare, visit www.njfamilycare.org. To learn more about the Health Insurance Marketplace or to apply for coverage visit www.healthcare.gov.