Medicaid planning to pay for long term care with Florida elder law attorney in Jacksonville

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…

How Will Tax Reform Impact Seniors and Persons with Disabilities?

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) is now officially law. Both the House and Senate passed the new tax reform bill in December with straight party-line votes and no support from Democrats. President Trump signed it into law right before Christmas. It is the first overhaul of the tax code in more than 30…

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…

Don’t Let Health Care Providers Use the Improvement Standard to Deny Medicare Coverage

Have you or a loved one been denied Medicare-covered services because you’re “not improving” or “not making progress”? Many health care providers are still not aware that Medicare is required to cover skilled nursing and home care even if a patient is not showing improvement. If you are denied coverage based on this outdated standard,…

Use of Immediate Annuities in Medicaid Planning for Married Couples

Immediate annuities can be a useful tool to protect the spouse of a nursing home resident who applies for Medicaid. These types of annuities allow the nursing home resident to spend down assets and give the spouse a guaranteed income. Immediate annuities are an available planning tool in the State of Florida. Medicaid is the…

Nursing Homes Cannot Discharge a Resident for Nonpayment if Medicaid Pending

New Medicare rules designed to give nursing home residents more control of their care are being phased into effect. The rules give nursing home residents more options regarding meals and visitation as well as make changes to discharge and grievance procedures. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid finalized the rules — the first comprehensive update to…

The Costs of Dementia: For the Patient and the Family

A recent report from the Alzheimer’s Association states that one in nine Americans age 65 or older currently has Alzheimer’s. With the baby boomer generation aging and people living longer, that number is expected to nearly triple by 2050. Alzheimer’s, of course, is just one cause of dementia—mini-strokes (TIAs) are also to blame—so the number of…

Who Pays the Nursing Home While Waiting for Medicaid Approval?

Can a person apply for Medicaid before assets are spent down to below $2,000? Once assets are down to $2,000, who is responsible for paying the nursing home costs while waiting for Medicaid approval — the wife, the children – and how much must be paid to the nursing home? In Florida, an individual can apply…

New Medicare Rule Encourages Doctors to Test for Alzheimer’s Disease and Offer Care Planning

A new Medicare rule will promote earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Medicare will now reimburse primary care doctors who conduct an Alzheimer’s evaluation and offer information about care planning to elderly patients with cognitive impairment. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans have the disease. In addition, more than 85 percent of…