Category archives: Medicaid
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2 hours ago
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The basic Medicaid rule for nursing home residents is that they must pay all of their income, minus certain deductions, to the nursing home. The deductions include a $60-a-month personal needs allowance (this amount may be somewhat higher or lower in your state), a deduction for any uncovered medica... [read more]
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4 weeks ago
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Medicaid law provides special protections for the spouses of Medicaid applicants to make sure the spouses have the minimum support needed to continue to live in the community while their husband or wife is receiving long-term care benefits, usually in a nursing home.
The so-called "spousal pr... [read more]
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1 month ago
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Medicare does not offer much in the way of dental benefits. To get dental coverage, you need to purchase separate and often costly dental insurance or sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan that includes dental care. Advocates for Medicare beneficiaries are arguing for a change.
Common dental ... [read more]
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2 months ago
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2020 federal guidelines for how much money the spouses of institutionalized Medicaid recipients may keep, as well as related Medicaid figures.
In 2020, the spouse of a Medicaid recipient living in a nursing home (called t... [read more]
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2 months ago
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When it comes to long-term care costs, the charges for home care are now rising faster than those for nursing home care, according to Genworth's 2019 Cost of Care survey. In the past year, the median annual cost for home health aides rose 4.55 percent to $52,624, while the median cost of a private n... [read more]
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3 months ago
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Nursing home residents do not automatically have to sell their homes in order to qualify for Medicaid, but that doesn't mean the house is completely protected. The state will likely put a lien on the house while the resident is living and attempt to recover the property after the resident has passed... [read more]
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4 months ago
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Federal law requires the state to attempt to recover the long-term care benefits from a Medicaid recipient's estate after the recipient's death. If steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house, it may need to be sold to settle the claim.
For Medicaid recipients age 55 or older... [read more]
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4 months ago
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An annuity can be a useful tool for long-term care planning, but annuities are also complex financial products that are hard to understand. If purchasing an annuity, you need to consider your options carefully.
An annuity is a contract with an insurance company under which the consumer pays t... [read more]
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5 months ago
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With careful Medicaid planning, you may be able to preserve some of your estate for your children or other heirs while meeting Medicaid's low asset limit.
The problem with transferring assets is that you have given them away. You no longer control them, and even a trusted child or other relat... [read more]
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6 months ago
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In order to be eligible for Medicaid, you cannot have recently transferred assets. Congress does not want you to move into a nursing home on Monday, give all your money to your children (or whomever) on Tuesday, and qualify for Medicaid on Wednesday. So it has imposed a penalty on people who transfe... [read more]
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7 months ago
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One question we're often asked by clients is if we can help them find resources to help cover the high costs that can often be associated with aging; such as at-home care or a skilled nursing facility. Our answer is that we are happy to help clients address these concerns by evaluating benefits such... [read more]
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7 months ago
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Hospice care is supposed to help terminally ill patients maintain their quality of life at the end of their life, but two new government reports find that serious problems in some hospices may be actually causing harm to hospice patients. The reports propose that additional safeguards are needed.
... [read more]
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