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Show UTAH MEDICAID Medicaid eligibility is determined in part by a needs assessment based on income or resources, citizenship, and membership in one of several federally-defined aid categories. These categories include being aged (over 65), blind, disabled, pregnant and under the age of 18, or a member of a family receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Both the number of eligible clients and the number of Medicaid clients increased between 1987 and 1992 (Table 18, Figure 13). Changes in eligibility rules, particularly those affecting children and pregnant women, are a primary reason for the recent increases. Even though many eligible clients receive health care services through Medicaid in Utah, there are others who may qualify but do not apply for these services. In 1992, for example, estimates suggest that only 74% of those eligible actually applied for and received services. Utah ranks as the 24th highest state in the ratio of Medicaid recipients to poor people and 33rd highest in Medicaid spending per capita (for more details see pp. 74-76 of the Public Health Section). Utah Medicaid Table 18 Number of People in Utah Eligible for Medicaid Medicaid Recipients in Utah % of those Eligible who actually received Medicaid Year # Eligible % Change Recipients % Change Year Rate 1987 121,143 -- -- -- „ 1988 129,649 7.0 101,165 7.3 1988 .78 1989 152,858 17.9 104,367 3.2 1989 .68 1990 163,870 7.2 117,900 13.0 1990 .72 1991 205,520 25.4 131,779 11.8 1991 .64 1992 217,000 11.94 160,757 22.0 1992 .74 1993 - 182,800* 12.1* 1993 1994 - - 207,900* 13.7* 1994 Estimate Figure 13 Number of Utahn's Eligible for Medicaid vs. the Number of Recipients 225,000 200,000 175,000 150,000 125,000 -100,000 --75,000 - -50,000 +¦ ,000 -fr 0 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Utah's Health: An Annual Review 1994 15 |