Frequently Asked Questions

• Visit the AHCCCS Freedom to Work website.
• Call the AHCCCS Freedom to Work office at 1-855-432-7587 or 1-602-417-5010.
• Talk to a Federally Qualified Health Center.
• Get local help from HealthCare.gov.
• If you have a disability, talk to a Work Incentive Consultant to learn more about health programs for people with disabilities.

There are different ways to apply for AHCCCS Freedom to Work:

• Online using Health-e-Arizona. Health-e-Arizona lets you apply for other programs like Nutrition Assistance or TANF Cash Assistance at the same time.
• Online using HealthCare.gov, an online one-stop shop where you can learn about your public and private coverage options.
• Using a paper application the AHCCCS Freedom to Work office can mail you. To ask for an application, call 1-855-432-7587 or 1-602-417-5010.

Note: If you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or used to and now are on SSI 1619(b), you automatically get AHCCCS coverage. You do not need to apply for AHCCCS and do not have to pay a premium.

Health-e-Arizona is the easiest way to apply for AHCCCS Freedom to Work if you think you might qualify. Health-e-Arizona also lets you apply for other benefits, like Nutrition Assistance (formerly Food Stamps), at the same time.

HealthCare.gov is a good option if you don’t think you will qualify for AHCCCS Freedom to Work, because it will also check if you can get private coverage with subsidies.

The bottom line: Both systems will help you find the benefits you need. The big difference is that, depending on your situation, one might be a bit faster than the other.

AHCCCS: You only pay small copayments for medical services. You may qualify based on the rules described in DB101’s AHCCCS article or based on the rules described in the AHCCCS for People with Disabilities article. You automatically qualify for AHCCCS if you’re on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or SSI’s 1619(b) provision.

AHCCCS Freedom to Work: You pay small copayments and may have a small monthly premium based on your income. If you are determined disabled by the Disability Determination Services Administration (DDSA) and are working, you may be able to make up to $6,360 per month and still qualify for AHCCCS Freedom to Work. To learn more about AHCCCS Freedom to Work, read DB101's AHCCCS Freedom to Work section.

To qualify for AHCCCS Freedom to Work, you must:

• Be an Arizona resident who has a disability determination
• A U.S. citizen or meet specific noncitizen requirements
• Aged 16 – 64, and
• Working or self-employed, paying Social Security and Medicare taxes, with countable earned income of $3,138 per month or less.

Your AHCCCS Freedom to Work Countable Income (compared to FPG):

Your Monthly Earned Income	$
	20.00
	65.00
Your Monthly Countable Income
Federal Poverty Guidelines	$1,255.00
Your Countable Income as a Percent of FPG

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You may be able to qualify for AHCCCS Freedom to Work if you make up to $6,360 per month.

To check your AHCCCS Freedom to Work eligibility and how much your premium might be, try DB101’s AHCCCS Freedom to Work Estimator.

No. You can continue to get the AHCCCS Freedom to Work benefits you currently get as long as your situation doesn’t change. If your income or family situation change, you may qualify for a different health coverage program.

In most cases, no. The actual medical coverage you get from AHCCCS will be the same, no matter how you qualified. Generally speaking, the big difference is that people with disabilities get extra ways to qualify and if you have a disability and start working, you can earn more while still getting AHCCCS coverage.

DB101 has four articles about different ways to get AHCCCS:

• The AHCCCS article explains the most common way to qualify, which does not require you to have a disability.
• The AHCCCS for People with Disabilities article explains a common way for people with disabilities who have low incomes to qualify.
• The AHCCCS Freedom to Work article explains a way that people with disabilities who work can get AHCCCS coverage by paying a premium.
• The SSI article explains how people with disabilities may qualify for AHCCCS automatically if they qualify for SSI.

If you are not sure how you qualified for AHCCCS, you can ask your local DES/Family Assistance Administration office.

No. You must pay a premium based on income. The maximum premium under the program is $35 per month. For an estimate of what your AHCCCS Freedom to Work premium would be, use the AHCCCS Freedom to Work Estimator.

No, it is not the same as how much you make. When public programs look at your income to figure out if you should qualify, they don’t always count all of your income. What they do count is called “countable income.” This benefits you, because it means that you might have more income than the income limit for a program, but still qualify.

When AHCCCS Freedom to Work reviews your income to see if you are eligible, only about half of your earned income (money you get from work you do) is counted. For example, if you make $4,000 per month at a job and have no other income, that’s only $1,957.50 in countable monthly income.

Try this tool to get an idea of how much countable income you have:

Your AHCCCS Freedom to Work Countable Income:

Your Monthly Earned Income	$
	20.00
	65.00
Your Monthly Countable Income

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Yes. AHCCCS Freedom to Work pays for the same services that standard AHCCCS pays for, including doctor visits, medical equipment, and Personal Assistance Services. For a listing of services covered under AHCCCS Freedom to Work, go to the AHCCCS website.

If you are eligible for both AHCCCS Freedom to Work and Medicare, it will help you to have both because:

• If your income is low enough, AHCCCS may pay your Part B premium (and your Part A premium, if you have one). In some cases it may even pay for Medicare deductibles, co-insurance, and copayments.
• You will automatically qualify for the Part D Low Income Subsidy. The Low Income Subsidy means you may not have to pay a premium for your Part D or any deductibles. All you would pay for prescription drugs are Part D’s copayments, which range from $1.55 to $11.20.

To learn more, read DB101’s detailed information on Medicare Savings Programs for Parts A and B and the Part D Low Income Subsidy.