A term that describes the group of individuals that states are generally required to cover under Medicaid in order to receive Federal funds. This group includes people who receive assistance through Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), as well as other Federally assisted income maintenance payments.
Persons who are aged, blind, or disabled (as defined under the Supplemental Security Income program - SSI) or a member of a family with dependent children where one parent is absent, incapacitated or unemployed (as defined under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program - AFDC).
A classification of individuals and/or families who meet certain eligibility requirements allowing them to qualify for Medicaid or other Federal/State programs due to the "category" they fall into, e.g., low income families with children; aged, blind and disabled individuals; and the elderly who meet certain financial criteria. http://cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/eligibility/criteria.asp
A phrase describing certain groups of Medicaid beneficiaries who qualify for the basic mandatory package of Medicaid benefits. There are categorically needy@ groups that states participating in Medicaid are required to cover, such as pregnant women and infants with incomes at or below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). These are mandatory categorically needy individuals. There are also categorically needy@ groups that states may at their option cover, such as pregnant women and infants with incomes above 133 percent and up to 185 percent of the FPL. These are optional categorically needy@ individuals. Unlike the medically needy,@ categorically needy@ individuals may not spend down@ in order to qualify for Medicaid.
Refer to CN for definition. See: Adult Medical Programs; Family Medical Programs; Scope of Care
Medicaid eligibility based on defined indicators of financial need by families with children and pregnant women, and to persons who are aged, blind, or disabled. Persons not falling into these categories cannot qualify, no matter how low their income. The Medicaid statute defines over 50 distinct population groups as potentially eligible, including those for which coverage is mandatory in all states and those that may be covered at a state's option. The scope of covered services that states must provide to the categorically needy is much broader than the minimum scope of services for other groups receiving Medicaid benefits.