Final answer:
The statement about Medicaid and extra help eligibility is false; qualifying for Medicaid does not automatically grant eligibility for Medicare's extra help program, and vice versa.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'If you qualify for Medicaid, then you qualify for extra help; and if you qualify for extra help then you qualify for Medicaid' is not necessarily true. While Medicaid is a program designed to provide health coverage for low-income individuals and families, extra help typically refers to the Medicare Low Income Subsidy (LIS) program that assists with Medicare prescription drug plan costs. Eligibility for these two programs is not interchangeable; qualifying for one does not automatically mean you qualify for the other.
Medicaid eligibility varies by state, and during the 1980s and 1990s, many states expanded their Medicaid coverage up to 135% or even 185% of the poverty line. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) further aimed to standardize and increase Medicaid eligibility, although not all states have adopted the expansion. Therefore, qualifying for Medicaid depends on a variety of factors, including income levels, state residency, and other criteria set forth by state and federal regulations. On the other hand, Medicare extra help, or LIS, has its own specific income and resource limits for eligibility