Final answer:
To qualify for Medicaid, applicants do not need to be a specific age but must meet other criteria including being blind, disabled, or a child under CHIP with a family income below the poverty level. Eligibility for Medicaid can vary by state regulations.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to qualify for Medicaid benefits, applicants must meet certain criteria. While age is a factor in determining eligibility for some groups, there is no minimum age requirement for all applicants. Instead, Medicaid coverage is extended to various groups, including the blind or disabled, as well as to children under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), provided their family's income is below a certain threshold. Specifically, the federal government requires states to cover the blind, disabled, and children whose family income is below the poverty level. However, states have the flexibility to set their own eligibility guidelines, which means that eligibility can indeed vary by state regulations.
According to the provided data, Medicaid enrollment and spending patterns reveal that children make up the largest group enrolled, with figures from Figure 15.7 (a) showing children at 47%, followed by adults at 28%, and the blind and disabled at 16%. Yet, as shown in Figure 15.7 (b), the majority of Medicaid spending goes toward the blind and disabled (44%) and the elderly (20%). This indicates that, while Medicaid serves a significant number of children, the higher costs are associated with services provided to the blind, disabled, and elderly population.