Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney
Although Medicaid and Medicare are both public health insurance programs, they have essential differences. Medicare is a federal program for older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals with end-stage renal failure. Medicaid is federal-state assistance for those with limited incomes. Read More …
In order to qualify for Medicaid, the applicant’s income must fall below a certain level. Most states allow individuals to spend down any income above this level on their care until they reach the state’s income standard. But in some Read More …
While Medicaid helps pay for nursing home care, being admitted to a nursing home as a Medicaid recipient is not always easy. There are several ways to navigate the process, depending on your situation. With the median cost of a nursing Read More …
Medicaid Snapshot Date When a married couple applies for Medicaid, the Medicaid agency must analyze the couple’s income and assets as of a particular date to determine eligibility. The date that the agency chooses for this analysis is called the Read More …
Gifting assets to your grandchildren can do more than help your descendants get a good start in life — it can also reduce the size of your estate and the tax that will be due upon your death. Perhaps the simplest Read More …
(updated with 2023 numbers to reflect Medicaid Guide 2023) Medicaid applicants must prove that they have limited income and assets in order to be eligible for long-term care services. Before beginning the application process, it is helpful to understand what Read More …
Long-term care involves not only a loss of personal autonomy; it also comes at a tremendous financial price. Proper planning can help your family prepare for the financial toll and protect assets for future generations. Long-term care can be very Read More …
To qualify for Medicaid coverage of long-term care, you must satisfy very complicated financial eligibility rules—rules that often can be traps for the unwary. One of the most significant traps is Medicaid’s right to recover its expenses from your estate Read More …
When applying for Medicaid’s long-term care coverage, in addition to the strict income and asset limits, you must demonstrate that you need a level care typically provided in a nursing home. Whether you are applying for nursing home coverage or Read More …
While it is preferable to conduct long-term care planning well in advance of needing care, if you haven’t planned ahead, there are some strategies available to avoid spending all your assets. Three so-called “half a loaf” approaches allow a Medicaid Read More …
When most of a couple’s income is in the name of the spouse who is receiving Medicaid, the spouse remaining in the community may wonder what he or she will live on. Medicaid has created some protections for the community spouse. Read More …
One of the greatest concerns of seniors and their families is the cost of long-term care, especially the cost of nursing home care. Long-term care refers to a range of services necessary to meet your personal needs. Most long-term care Read More …
Qualifying for Medicare hardly means free health care — there are still premiums and deductibles. However, people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid (called “dual eligibility”) receive help paying their out-of-pocket costs. Medicare is a federal program available to Read More …
Prices of new long-term care insurance policies for 2021 have have been posted in the annual report from the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, an industry group. The price increases apply to new, not current policies. Comparing the 2021 prices with 2020 Read More …
Buying long-term care insurance is one way to protect against the high cost of long-term care. However, this type of insurance may not be for everyone, so consider all your options. Long-term care – care in a nursing home or Read More …
The one-year deadline for nursing home residents on Medicaid to spend down their first round of stimulus checks is here, but they may have a little extra time. Stimulus Checks Excluded From Medicaid’s Resource Limits for 12 Months In March Read More …
If you want to make a gift to family members but have exceeded the annual gifting limit, there is another way. Payments for a family member’s education or health care expenses are exempt from the gift tax. The annual gift Read More …
President Biden has signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law. Among its benefits are $1,400 checks that are already landing in the bank accounts or mailboxes of most Americans to help them weather the economic downturn caused by Read More …
When most people think of long-term care or the “need to stay in a home,” they think of it has a worst-case scenario as we approach end of life that entails losing one’s independence and personal autonomy. Although that may Read More …
For better and for worse, Medicaid is the primary method of paying for long-term care and nursing homes in the United States. But navigating the Medicaid system is complicated and confusing. Here are the basics. What is Medicaid? Medicaid is a Read More …
