Here disability Medicaid is a little different but I don't know exactly how. I know I have it but on a spend-down plan where I have to have medical bills for a huge percent of my income in a given month to qualify. I could also theoretically pay them that amount and would then have Medicaid every month but since I like to eat and pay rent I just get it when I qualify, which is if I am hospitalized. I think here you can work a certain amount and buy into disability Medicaid but I don't know how that works exactly (although I do remember it is very minimal work required to qualify).

There are benefits to not having Medicaid. I was still applying for it when I was approved and then definitely not eligible but as I recall they told me if I was on it and denied for SSDI I would lose my Medicaid as I no longer could say I was disabled which was what was going to let me qualify for Medicaid in the first place.

I wound up uninsured for a few years until Medicare kicked in. I am so fortunate because this was before the ACA and I live near a hospital that had amazing low-income benefits so I was able to get my care for free until I was insured. I even had a free hysterectomy. That isn't nearly as easy to qualify for now but it saved me (my pdoc happens to be in that hospital system so she was no-cost for those 2 years as well).