This page has information about Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance and community health clinics.

Medicare http://www.medicare.gov/

Medicare provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older who have worked and paid Medicare taxes. It also provides health insurance to younger people with disabilities, late stage kidney disease and ALS (sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease).

You may also talk to someone at the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, called CLAIM in Missouri. Trained counselors provide free education and assistance to people with Medicare and those who help them to make informed decisions about Medicare and related health insurance needs.     Visit CLAIM website

Here are phone numbers for people in Missouri to get information about Medicare:

Toll Free: (800) 390-3330 (TDD/TTY available upon request)

In Columbia Missouri: (573) 817-8320

Missouri Medicaid – MO HealthNet

Medicaid is a government health insurance program for low income children and families, and for people who are aged, blind or have disabilities who also have limited income and resources.   Missouri’s Medicaid program is called MO HealthNet.

Information about how to apply for MO HealthNet is on this website:   http://dss.mo.gov/pr_health.htm

Here are toll-free phone numbers to get information about MO HealthNet:

MO HealthNet Participant Services   1-800-392-2161

MO HealthNet Service Center 1-888-275-5908

Health Insurance   https://www.healthcare.gov/

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 allows people who do not have health insurance through an employer to purchase affordable insurance on the open market.   While Missouri does not operate a health insurance exchange, help is available to find health insurance that works for you and your family, if you are uninsured and do not qualify for Medicare or MO HealthNet.     To find help where you live click on this website:   https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/

Community Health Centers   http://www.mo-pca.org/

Community health centers see people who have trouble finding a doctor and people who do not have insurance.     These clinics provide comprehensive health services, including mental health care and dental care.   Community health centers are also called federally qualified health centers.

Community Health Centers accept Medicare Medicaid, private insurance, and have an affordable fee schedule based on your ability to pay if you do not have health insurance.     Community health centers cannot turn you away if you do not have money to pay for health care.