I have had many people who are on Medicaid ask me if they could apply for free cell phones for Medicaid recipients. I always tell them that it is possible to do that because these types of phones are for people with low income and resources. In fact, it would be easier for someone on Medicaid to apply for a free cell phone than a person who was not on Medicaid because their income is already verified. They would only have to show proof of their Medicaid coverage.
Once these people find out that they could apply for a free phone, they always ask how to go about doing that. There are several companies that provide free cell phone service. The one that I am most familiar with is Safelink Wireless. You could go directly to their website and fill out the application for a free phone. If you are approved, you would get a free cell phone and free minutes. You get about 250 free minutes each month. Some of the people that I talked to were worried that 250 minutes may not be enough to use for a whole month. I reminded them that the cell phones were not meant for them to be talking to their friends all day long. It is supposed to be used for emergencies and for taking care of personal business. But I also informed them that they could buy more minutes if they do run out of the 250 minutes. Another thing about this program is that each household can only get one free phone. Extra cell phones will cost money.
I think this is a very good program for those needy families and individuals who really cannot afford to get their own phone service. However, this program should not be abused as with any other government assistance program.
