What is the Difference Between Medicare and Medicaid?

Medicare and Medicaid are two different government programs for healthcare.  It is important to understand the difference between them.  Here, we will discuss how the program benefits differ, how eligibility for each program is established, and discuss some recent news pertaining to each program. Medicare vs. Medicaid – What are the program benefits? Medicare is…

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…

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…

Long Term Care and Nursing Home Facts for Florida

Interesting Facts About Long Term Care In Florida Florida nursing homes are serving increasingly diverse patient base and providing a greater variety of acute care, rehabilitative and convalescent services that cannot be delivered elsewhere. Key Facts There are 683 licensed nursing homes in Florida, representing approximately 83,587 beds (Souce: Agency for Health Care Administration) The estimated…

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…

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…