Ohio's Medicaid buy-in program allows disabled to work with benefits

A new state program will help Charissa Warner and a lot of others go back to or get full-time work.

April 1 was the first day to apply for Ohio's Medicaid buy-in program for workers with disabilities, which allows eligible disabled workers to continue receiving Medicaid benefits by paying an income-based premium.

The two biggest barriers that stop disabled people from working is lack of accessible transportation and the fear of losing benefits — especially medical benefits, said John Conelly, executive director of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission.

Until now, earning too much meant losing Medicaid benefits or losing a large part of a paycheck.

The commission is the state agency charged with helping Ohioans with disabilities by helping them get jobs through its Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Last year, the commission helped more than 8,700 Ohioans find or keep jobs. In Stark County, the commission served 2,646 people with disabilities and helped 375 get jobs at an average hourly wage of $9.75 per hour, working an average of about 32 hours per week.

For Warner, the Medicaid buy-in means she will be able to go back to full-time work. "We've been waiting for this for years," she said.

The 28-year-old Strasburg woman is a drafting technician, designing roads and bridges for the state Department of Transportation's District 11, headquartered in New Philadelphia.

She's also been a quadriplegic since breaking her neck in a sled-riding accident when she was 11. Inspired by her father's example, she grew up determined to make a living, and the commission helped with her education and with alterations to her van.

She earned an associate's degree in computer-assisted design and a bachelor's degree in computer science at Kent State University Tuscarawas Campus.

Going on her husband's company insurance would put their premiums "through the roof," she said. When she landed a job with the state, she had health coverage, but, "There are a lot of things that insurance doesn't cover. That's why we can't afford to lose our Medicaid," she said.

"A lot of us (disabled people) are uninsurable because of pre-existing conditions," she said

"Most of the people we're working with have more than one disability," Conelly said. "It's usually a combination of physical and psychological."

Warner was working full time, but dropped to part-time because of a "patient-liability" rule that required payment of all money made in excess of the income cap. "It really discouraged a lot of people from getting a job," Warner said.

She's waiting for a state hiring freeze to end so she can go back to full-time work.

Conelly said many disabled people were unwilling to take the risk of losing Medicaid because a catastrophic health problem would wipe out all their assets. The new rules also upped the amount of savings a disable person can have: from a cap of $1,500 to $10,000.

The buy-in allows workers with disabilities earning up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level, after deductions, to pay a monthly premium to continue Medicaid coverage, said commission spokeswoman Eileen Corson.

That percentage amounts to $26,000, but the first $20,000 doesn't count, so people are eligible for the buy-in even if they earn up to $46,000, or more with deductions, she said.

"Medicaid buy-In breaks down the barrier to adequate health coverage and frees Ohio's workers with disabilities to enter the work force or secure higher-paying jobs, strengthening the state's economy," Conelly said

Reach Repository Business Editor Pat Kelley at (330) 580-8323 or e-mail:

pat.kelley@cantonrep.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Ohioans between the ages of 16 and 64 with a disability defined by the Social Security Administration can pay an income-based premium for Medicaid coverage.

Buy-in applications are available at: jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/consumers/Application.stm or by calling the Medicaid consumer hotline at (800) 324-8680 or TTY at (800) 292-3572. Applications may be returned by mail, fax or taking completed forms to the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services.

People with disabilities who would like to get jobs, pursue career advancement or return to work can contact the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission at www.rsc.ohio.state.oh.us or (800) 282-4536 for both voice and TTY.

The Canton Repository