Missouri offers what's called a Missouri Medicaid (MO HealthNet) Spend-down program that offers healthcare coverage event if your income is over the program guidelines. The idea is that you "spend down" your income so that you meet the MO HealthNet program's income limits. 

How can the MO HealthNet (Medicaid) Spend-down Program program help me?

If you agree to "spend down" a certain amount each month, you could qualify for MO HealthNet coverage. The amount you're looking to "spend down" is the amount of income that is over the Medicaid limit. This amount will be different for each person and is calculated as the difference between the individual's monthly net income and the Medicaid eligibility limits. If you do not spend this amount in a month, you will not have MO HealthNet coverage that month.

How do I apply for MO HealthNet?

To apply for the Missouri Medicaid (MO HealthNet) Spend-down Program, apply online or print and fill out the application form and mail it to your local office.

You can apply online for Medicaid in Missouri online. To start and submit your online application, you'll need to create a user login. When clicking on "Create Account" below, make sure to click "sign up" if you're a new user, or if you've already created account, click "Log in" to pick up where you left off.

Create Account

You can also print and fill out the application form and mail it to your local office.

Below you'll find the link downloads from Missouri's Department of Social Services

• Application Form ( English - PDF)
• Application Form (Spanish - PDF) 

If you have questions or need to speak to someone, call  1-855-373-9994. 

NCOA also has a HelpLine that you can call to get free support. To get started today, call 1-800-794-6559.

How do Medicare and MO Healthnet work together?

If you get Medicare, you may also be able to get help from MO HealthNet. MO HealthNet pays for some services not covered by Medicare such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dental care. It also pays for some Medicare co-payments and deductibles.

Once you spend down and qualify for MO HealthNet, and you enroll in both Medicare and MO HealthNet, you will be signed up for the Extra Help program through Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage). This program helps people with limited income and resources pay for their medicines.

If you have Medicare and MO HealthNet, you can get your coverage through a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan (SNP). This plan can help you manage the health care services you need. SNPs may also offer more benefits than what you already get from Original Medicare. In some cases, you may have no monthly premiums and/or you may pay lower co-payments. All SNP plans are different, so check with the plans to see what they cover and if you can enroll.

SNPs are not available in every community. To find out if there is an SNP in your area, please go to www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-633-4227 or 1-877-486-2048 (TTY).