medicaid, and its coverage and who it is suppose to help.

Medicaid is health insurance that helps people who can't afford medical care and it will pay for some or all of their medical bills. Supposedly, If you can't afford to pay for medical care, Medicaid can make it possible for you to get the care that you need. Medicaid is available only to people with limited income. This is what the Medicaid website stated, but my personally experience, i have learned that this is not true. !! You must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid does not pay money to you; instead, it sends payments directly to your doctors or hospital. Depending on your state's rules, you may also be asked to pay a small part of the cost (called a co payment) for some medical services.

Many groups of people are covered by Medicaid. Even within these groups, though, certain requirements must be met. These may include your age, whether you are pregnant, disabled, blind, or aged; your income and resources (like bank accounts, real property, or other items that can be sold for cash); and whether you are a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted immigrant. The rules for counting your income and resources vary from state to state and from group to group. There are special rules for those who live in nursing homes and for disabled children living at home.
Your child may be eligible for coverage if he or she is a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted immigrant, even if you are not (however, there is a 5-year limit that applies to lawful permanent residents). Eligibility for children is based on the child's status, not the parent's. Also, if someone else's child lives with you, the child may be eligible even if you are not because your income and resources will not count for the child.
In general, you should apply for Medicaid if your income is limited and you match one of the descriptions of the Eligibility Groups. (Even if you are not sure whether you qualify, if you or someone in your family needs health care, you should apply for Medicaid and have a qualified caseworker in your state evaluate your situation.)
When Eligibility Starts Coverage may back pay to any or all of the three months prior to application, if the individual would have been eligible during the retroactive period. Coverage generally stops at the end of the month in which a person's circumstances change. Most states have additional "state-only" programs to provide medical assistance for specified people with limited incomes and resources who do not qualify for the Medicaid program. No Federal funds are provided for state-only programs.
What is Not Covered, Medicaid does not provide medical assistance for all people with limited incomes and resources. The Medicaid program does not provide health care services for everyone. You must qualify for Medicaid. Low-income is only one test for Medicaid eligibility; assets and resources are also tested against established thresholds. As noted earlier, Medically needy persons who would be categorically eligible. I also found that each individaual county can "bend" the rules to suite the people they think deserve help, this should not be allowed. A large majority of Hispanics have coverage and according the the guidelines I mentioned above, they should not be eligable. This is crazy!! I think the working, person down on their luck or even have medical proof of their illness should be able to receive Medicaid.