Medically Indigent Adults (MIAs) in the

health care system Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, Mental health, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World H ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

are persons who do not have

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among m ...

and who are not eligible for other

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health pr ...

such as

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

, Medicare, or private health insurance. This is a term that is used both medically and for the general public. According to data reported by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in 2017, 45% of non-elderly adults do not have medical insurance because of cost. Those who are "medically indigent earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to purchase either health insurance or health care." Medically indigent people with significant illnesses face several barriers to health insurance. States like

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

came up with their own MIAP program to assist those who fall in the gaps.

Government Help

On March 23, 2010, the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

came into effect, which impacted the definition of medical indigence in the United States. The act is credited as benefiting thousands of Americans while also being detrimental to others. The initial intent for the act was to insure every person living in the United States, however, in a 2015 article,

FiveThirtyEight ''FiveThirtyEight'', sometimes rendered as ''538'', is an American website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging in the United States. The website, which takes its name from the number of electors in th ...

stated that the act did not fix the entire problem as it did not cover undocumented and illegal aliens. Acts such as

EMTALA The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) is an act of the United States Congress, passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). It requires hospital emergency departments that accept pay ...

ensure that every person coming into the emergency room must be treated regardless of insurance, with the patient left with the responsibility of paying the bill. The gap of not qualifying for insurance, as well as not being able to apply for insurance, leave these people in medical indigence.

Living Outside the qualified lines

Many states do not allow people access to Medicaid, even in cases of extreme poverty, if no minor children are present in the home and they have not proven they are disabled. These people have no recourse to government provided healthcare and must rely on private charitable health programs, if any exist, in their area.

No Discrimination

The term also applies to those incapable, mentally or physically, to perform certain acts in consideration with the position of financial level. Lack of capacity: financial, physical, as well as mental can be considered with verification, Medically Indigent. In the United States this term is applied regardless of race, religion, creed, or ethnicity, an actual state of being, very close to a disability, yet on the border of seemingly or likely to be non-functional at the time of decision making.

Receiving the Help Needed

Government MIA programs at the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

level may help MIAs access medical care by paying for all or part of the cost of their medical care. Such programs are typically of last resort, and are available only to those who meet the "last resort" socioeconomic eligibility standards. Many people can't afford the outrageous medical bills and fall into the MIA criteria.

Government Help

Living Outside the qualified lines

No Discrimination

Receiving the Help Needed

See also

References

Further reading