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Medical Assistance for People Who Are Age 65 or Older and People Who Are Blind or Have a Disability

2.3.3.4 Medical Spenddowns (Archive)

A medical spenddown is a cost-sharing approach that allows Medical Assistance (MA) eligibility for people whose income is greater than the applicable income limit. Federal rules refer to this population as “medically needy.”

People with an aged, blind or disabled basis of eligibility, who are not eligible for Medical Assistance for People Who Are Age 65 or Older and People Who Are Blind or Have a Disability (MA-ABD) because they are over the income limit and who have medical expenses may be eligible for MA-ABD with a spenddown.

See the MA for Families and Children Medical Spenddown policy for more information about medical spenddowns for parents, pregnant women and children.

Topics included in this section are:

  1. MA-ABD Medical Spenddown Types

  2. MA-ABD Health Care Expenses

MA-ABD Spenddown Standard

The spenddown standard for MA-ABD with a spenddown is:

  • Before July 1, 2016:  75% FPG

  • On or after July 1, 2016:  80% FPG

Legal Citations

Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.811

Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.831

Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.840

Minnesota Statutes, section 256B.056, subdivision 5

Published:  September 1, 2016

Archived: January 1, 2019