Montgomery Cares provides medical care to adults who live in Montgomery County, do not have much money, and cannot get health insurance. Immigration status and existing health problems do not keep you out of the program.
Montgomery Cares provides basic medical services. If you have Montgomery Cares, the program pays part of the cost of your health services, but you may also have to pay something. Contact your clinic to find out what you will have to pay. Montgomery cares is not health insurance. Health insurance plans, like Medicaid and private health plans available from the Maryland Health Connection, offer more services than Montgomery Cares. If you are a U.S. Citizen or legal permanent resident who has been here for more than five years, visit www.MarylandHealthConnection.gov to find out about getting health insurance.
Only certain health care providers participate in Montgomery Cares. Be sure you go to your Montgomery Cares clinic when you need a health service. If you go somewhere else, you may have to pay full price. Use the "Find a Clinic" tool to find the locations and contact information of participating Montgomery Cares clinics.
Eligibility: Who Can Join Montgomery Cares?
‘Eligibility’ means a person meets the requirements to be in a program. You are eligible for Montgomery Cares if:
Eligibility workers from the Office of Eligibility and Support Services decide if a person meets the requirements to be in the program. Eligibility workers are located at some clinics and at OESS locations throughout the county. The first time you go to a clinic, you must bring documents that prove you live in Montgomery County and that your income is at or below 250 percent (two and a half times) the Federal Poverty Level. Click here to see Federal Poverty Guidelines. Staff at the clinic will direct you to an onsite eligibility worker or help you find an OESS office.
Bring The Following:
Proof of Income (Bring at least one)
Paycheck
Unemployment stubs
Last year’s tax return
Letter from your employer that says how much you earn
Letter from a friend or family member who is helping you with money
Proof that you live in Montgomery County (Bring at least one)
Utility bill showing your name and address
School records
Driver’s license or Maryland State ID Card
Lease or mortgage statement
Signed Federal Tax Return/W2 showing your address
Voter registration card
Letter from your landlord
Letter from a person you are staying with and that person’s proof of residence
Property tax bill
Enrollment: Who is in Montgomery Cares?
After you are determined eligible, you will be enrolled in Montgomery Cares. That means you are a member of the program and you can get services through the program. You will be given a Montgomery Cares identification (ID) card. Your Montgomery Cares ID card is proof that you are enrolled in the program. You must show this card anytime you get a service at your main clinic or any other health care provider participating in Montgomery Cares.
Renewal: How to Stay Active with Montgomery Cares.
Every year, you must update your information and an eligibility worker must confirm that you are allowed to stay in Montgomery Cares. Bring proof of your income and proof that you live in Montgomery County to an eligibility worker at your clinic or at an OESS location throughout the county.
Remember, you must update your information with Montgomery Cares every year!
A Note on Public Charge If you join Montgomery Cares, you are not at risk of becoming a public charge because of your participation in the program.
