Minnesota Health Care Programs (Archive)

The Minnesota Department of Human Services administers a number of publicly-funded health care programs. The programs have different eligibility requirements, and each provides different health care coverage for people who are eligible.

The three primary health care programs are MinnesotaCare (MCRE), Medical Assistance (MA), and General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC). Some people may also be eligible for the Medicare Savings Programs. Some MA enrollees might be eligible for additional home and community-based services offered through a waiver program.

See Programs for Specific Populations for more information about other health care programs.

MinnesotaCare.

Medical Assistance.

General Assistance Medical Care.

Medicare Savings Programs.

Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs.

Related Topics.

Top of Page

MinnesotaCare

MinnesotaCare is a premium-based program that provides health care coverage for some families with children and some adults without children. It evolved out of the Children's Health Plan (CHP), which began in 1988. MCRE is funded by state and federal dollars, and is administered both by DHS and county agencies. Some county agencies have elected to be MCRE enrollment sites and administer all MinnesotaCare cases while others do so only on a limited basis.

l  For a client-oriented overview of MCRE eligibility requirements and benefits, see the MinnesotaCare overview on the DHS web site.

l  For specific information about eligibility determination, see the relevant sections of this manual. If you are not certain of which sections are relevant, a good place to start may be MinnesotaCare Eligibility Groups.

Top of Page

Medical Assistance (MA)

Medical Assistance is Minnesota's name for the federal Medicaid program, which began in the 1960s. MA, which is administered by county agencies, provides health care coverage to children under the age of 21, parents or relative caretakers of dependent children, pregnant women, people who are age 65 or older and people who have a certified disability. Medical Assistance is funded by federal and state dollars.

l  For a client-oriented overview of Medical Assistance eligibility requirements and benefits, see the Medical Assistance overview on the DHS web site.

l  For specific information about eligibility determination, see the relevant sections of this manual. If you are not certain of which sections are relevant, a good place to start may be MA/GAMC Bases of Eligibility.

Top of Page

General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC)

This state-funded program, which was enacted in 1975, provides health care coverage to people who do not have a basis of eligibility for MA. These are primarily adults without children. GAMC, which provides somewhat more limited benefits than MA, is administered by county agencies.

l  For a client-oriented overview of General Assistance Medical Care eligibility requirements and benefits, see the GAMC overview on the DHS web site.

l  For specific information about eligibility determination, see the relevant sections of this manual. If you are not certain of which sections are relevant, a good place to start may be MA/GAMC Bases of Eligibility.

Top of Page

Medicare Savings Programs

People who are eligible for Medicare may also be eligible for the Medicare Savings programs, which are administered by county agencies. People may be eligible for these programs (which help with costs such as Medicare premiums or co-payments) instead of or in addition to Medical Assistance.

l  For a client-oriented overview of requirements and benefits for these programs, see the fact sheet Minnesota Health Care Programs for People Who Have a Disability or Are Age 65 or Older.

l  For specific information about eligibility determination, see the relevant sections of this manual. If you are not certain of which sections are relevant, a good place to start may be Medicare Savings Programs.

Top of Page

Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs

People who are age 65 or older or who are certified blind or disabled may be eligible for home and community-based services under a waiver in addition to their MA coverage. The home and community-based waiver programs are administered by county agencies.

l  For a client-oriented overview of requirements and benefits for these programs, see the fact sheet Minnesota Health Care Programs for People Who Have a Disability or Are Age 65 or Older.

l  For specific information about eligibility determination, see the relevant sections of this manual. If you are not certain of which sections are relevant, a good place to start may be Waiver Programs.

Top of Page

Related Topics

For more information about the major health care programs and the benefit sets that are available for each, see:

Hierarchy of Health Care Programs.

Benefit Sets.

Top of Page