Facts

• In the past, large scale discrimination against the blind existed with many insurance carriers in the United States. However, the National Federation for the Blind has worked over the past several decades to eradicate such discrimination, and now several states have laws and regulations to eradicate health insurance discrimination against the blind. Blind people can qualify for public and private health insurance through their employers just as sighted individuals can, but under certain circumstances, blind people may also qualify for Federal- and state-funded Medicare and/or Medicaid programs.
  
  

Medicaid

• If a person is disabled and eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments, such as SSI (Supplemental Security Income), that person could be eligible for Medicaid--a health insurance program jointly funded by the Federal government and the States. Medicaid does not pay money directly to the recipient; payments are made directly to healthcare providers. Depending on the rules of the state of residence, there may also be a co-payment for some medical services.
  
  

Medicaid Qualifications

• In 32 states and the District of Columbia, people eligible for SSI are provided with Medicaid with the same application process. Medicaid eligibility starts in the same month as the SSI eligibility. In the following states the eligibility rules are the same for SSI and Medicaid, but a separate application is required for Medicaid and SSI: Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Eleven states have their own eligibility rules for Medicaid and require a separate application: Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia.
  
  

Medicare

• Medicare is a national health insurance policy for people ages 65 and older and people under 65 with certain disabilities, such as blindness, and those with permanent kidney damage. All people 65 and older are automatically enrolled in Medicare. Blind people under 65-years-old are automatically enrolled in Medicare if they have been receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration for at least 24 months. People can receive Medicare Part A benefits to cover care in certain medical facilities automatically upon turning 65-years-old. Medicare Part B is optional and covers many outpatient services; however, there is a monthly premium and often a co-payment.
  
  

Types

• Social Security Disability benefits are available to blind people whether they have been previously employed or not. The main qualification is if the disability is severe enough to keep the recipient unemployed for 12 months or more. Private health insurance is available for blind persons and generally comes in varied forms--employment-based plans offer coverage through the person's employer or that of a qualifying relative; self-employed-based plans offer coverage for those owning their own businesses; and direct-purchase plans where persons can obtain individual or family coverage through a private insurance company.