Qualify for Medicaid Benefits by Spending Down Assets

We often are asked if a parent sells assets to have funds to pay for a nursing home, or assisted living facility, will there be a penalty or waiting period before the parent can qualify for Medicaid benefits. The simple answer to that question is no. There is no transfer penalty or waiting period when…

ABLE Accounts Changes From Tax Act You Should Know About

If you have a loved one with disabilities, you may be familiar with ABLE accounts, authorized by Congress in 2014 under the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act. States can offer ABLE accounts to help people who become disabled before age 26 and their families save and pay for disability-related expenses. These expenses include housing,…

What’s Involved with Medicaid Planning? Is it Complex?

Is Medicaid planning complex? Sometimes, Medicaid planning can be easy. An example might be when there is a need for a Qualified Income Trust, for a nursing home resident who has spent down their assets to practically zero, and whose income is above the Medicaid limit of $2,313 for 2019. You just fill out the…

Medicaid Bill Prevents Spousal Impoverishment for Home Care Coverage

Spousal impoverishment for the community spouse who stays at home when the other spouse is in a skilled nursing home is always an important issue. Members of the U.S. House house of representatives have taken a step toward extending some of the financial protections provided to seniors receiving long-term care in home or community settings.…

Trump Administration Strengthens Nursing Home Oversight and Safety to Ensure Adequate Staffing

The following message was released on November 30, 2018, by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, announced actions that will bolster nursing home oversight and improve transparency in order to ensure that facilities are staffed adequately to provide high-quality long term care. These…

What Financial Protections Are Available for My Spouse When I Enter a Nursing Home and Receive Medicaid Benefits?

Often our clients seeking Medicaid benefits to help pay for nursing home care, or other long term care, are concerned about financial protections available to the stay at home spouse. They want to know how many assets or how much income the healthy spouse will be allowed to keep to ensure the financial well-being of…

Home Health Care Patients With Chronic Conditions Are Having Trouble Getting Medicare

Medicare is supposed to provide up to 35 hours a week of home care to those who qualify, but many Medicare patients with chronic conditions are being wrongly denied such care, according to Kaiser Health News. For a variety of reasons, many home health care agencies are simply telling patients they are not covered. Medicare…

National Long-Term Care Spending Hits All-Time High at $163 Billion

Americans spent nearly $163 billion for long-term care in skilled nursing facilities and continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) in 2016, according to a recent U.S. Government report. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ National Health Care Spending report for 2016, published December 27, 2017, in Health Affairs, found that total healthcare spending in the…