Can you get unemployment and medicaid at the same time in NY?

Yes absolutely! Getting unemployment benefits doesn't disqualify you from medicaid. They're completely separate programs - unemployment is through NYS Department of Labor and medicaid is through the state health department. I was on both for about 6 months last year. Just make sure you report your UI benefits as income when you apply for medicaid, but the amounts are usually low enough that you'll still qualify.

yep did this myself. unemployment was like $400/week and medicaid covered everything. just be honest about the UI income on your medicaid application

This is correct - there's no conflict between receiving unemployment insurance and medicaid coverage. The key thing is that unemployment benefits count as income for medicaid eligibility purposes, but in most cases the weekly benefit amount is low enough that you'll still qualify. When you apply for medicaid, you'll need to estimate your annual income including your projected unemployment benefits. Make sure to update your medicaid case if your UI benefits change or when they end.

Been there! Lost my job in March and got both right away. The medicaid application asks about unemployment but it didn't stop me from getting approved. Actually having medicaid was a huge stress relief while dealing with all the NYS Department of Labor stuff and job searching.

I tried calling the medicaid office to ask about this but couldn't get through to anyone. The phone system is almost as bad as trying to reach NYS Department of Labor! Has anyone found a better way to get answers about how unemployment affects medicaid eligibility? I've been waiting weeks just to talk to someone.

just apply for both dont overthink it. worst case they say no and you reapply

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Just filed for unemployment last week and was worried about the health insurance gap. From what I've learned, you can definitely get both - they're separate programs with different eligibility criteria. The unemployment benefits do count as income for Medicaid, but unless you're getting the maximum weekly benefit, you should still qualify. I'd recommend applying for Medicaid ASAP since it can take a few weeks to process, and you don't want any gap in coverage. Also, if you do end up over the income limit for regular Medicaid, you might still qualify for Essential Plan or subsidized marketplace insurance. Good luck with everything!

Yes, you can definitely get both! I was in a similar situation about 8 months ago when I got laid off. Applied for unemployment through NYS DOL and Medicaid at the same time. The key is being upfront about your UI income when you apply for Medicaid - they'll factor it in but most people still qualify since unemployment benefits are pretty modest. One tip: apply for Medicaid right away because it can be backdated to cover you from the date you lost your employer insurance, but only if you apply within a certain timeframe. Don't wait until your COBRA deadline! The peace of mind having both programs gave me while job hunting was invaluable.

I was in your exact situation two years ago - lost my job and panicked about losing health coverage. The good news is you can absolutely get both unemployment and Medicaid! I actually found it easier to get approved for Medicaid than I expected. When I applied online through NY State of Health, I just included my estimated weekly unemployment benefits as income. Even though I was getting around $450/week in UI, I still qualified for Medicaid because that annual amount was still under the income threshold. The whole process took about 3 weeks, and having that health coverage while job searching was such a weight off my shoulders. Don't let the fear of losing insurance add to your job loss stress - apply for both programs and you should be covered!

I went through this exact same thing about a year ago! You can absolutely get both unemployment and Medicaid at the same time. When I lost my job, I was terrified about losing health coverage, but it turned out to be much more manageable than I thought. I applied for unemployment through the NYS DOL website and then applied for Medicaid through NY State of Health about a week later. The key is being honest about your unemployment income on the Medicaid application - they'll ask for your expected annual income, so just estimate based on your weekly UI benefit amount times however many weeks you think you'll be on unemployment. Most people still qualify because even the maximum UI benefit in NY keeps you under the Medicaid income limits. The peace of mind of having health coverage while dealing with job loss stress was invaluable. Apply for both ASAP and don't worry - the system is designed to help people in transition like us!

Just wanted to add my experience here since I went through this recently! You can definitely get both - I was on unemployment and Medicaid simultaneously for about 4 months earlier this year. One thing that really helped me was applying for Medicaid online through NY State of Health rather than trying to call. The online application walks you through exactly what income to report, including unemployment benefits. I was getting about $380/week in UI and still qualified for full Medicaid coverage. Also, don't forget that even if your income from unemployment puts you slightly over the Medicaid limit, you might qualify for Essential Plan which is still very affordable coverage. The important thing is to not delay - apply for both programs as soon as possible after losing your job. Having that safety net in place while job searching made such a difference in my stress levels!

I'm in almost the exact same boat right now - just lost my job two weeks ago and have been stressing about health insurance! Reading through all these responses is so reassuring. It sounds like the consensus is definitely yes, you can get both programs simultaneously. I'm planning to apply for Medicaid through NY State of Health this week since my employer coverage ends in about 10 days. One question I have - for those who successfully got both, did you wait until your unemployment benefits were approved and you knew your exact weekly amount before applying for Medicaid? Or did you just estimate based on what you thought you'd get? I'm worried about getting the income estimate wrong on the Medicaid application.

I just went through this exact situation last month! You can absolutely get both unemployment and Medicaid at the same time - they're completely separate programs and one doesn't disqualify you from the other. When I lost my job in April, I was really stressed about the health insurance gap too. I applied for unemployment through the NYS DOL website first, then applied for Medicaid through NY State of Health about a week later. The key thing is to be upfront about your unemployment income when you apply for Medicaid, but don't let that scare you - most people still qualify because the weekly benefit amounts are usually low enough to keep you under the income threshold. I was getting about $420/week in UI benefits and still got approved for full Medicaid coverage. My advice would be to apply for both programs ASAP rather than waiting. The Medicaid application process took about 2-3 weeks for me, and having that coverage approved before my COBRA deadline was such a relief. Don't let the stress of figuring out benefits add to the job loss anxiety - the system really is designed to help people in transition like us!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I just lost my job yesterday and was panicking about losing my health insurance next month. Reading everyone's experiences has given me so much peace of mind. It's amazing how many people have successfully navigated both programs at the same time. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here and apply for unemployment through NYS DOL first, then submit my Medicaid application through NY State of Health right away rather than waiting. The consensus seems to be that as long as you're honest about your UI income on the Medicaid application, most people still qualify since the weekly benefit amounts keep you under the income threshold. I'm so grateful for communities like this where people share their real experiences - it makes such a difference when you're feeling overwhelmed by a sudden job loss. Thank you all for taking the time to help newcomers like me!

I'm so relieved to find this thread! Just got laid off three days ago and have been losing sleep over the health insurance situation. Everyone's experiences here are incredibly reassuring - it sounds like getting both unemployment and Medicaid is definitely doable and much more straightforward than I initially thought. I'm planning to file for unemployment this weekend and then apply for Medicaid through NY State of Health right after. The advice about being upfront with UI income but not letting it scare you off from applying really resonates with me. Based on my previous salary, I'm estimating around $375/week in unemployment benefits, which seems to be well within the range where people here still qualified for full Medicaid coverage. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - it's making this overwhelming situation feel so much more manageable!