Over the years, many people have incorrectly used the
terms Medicare and Medicaid interchangeably to the point where there is a lot
of confusion among the public. Medicare and Medicaid are two completely
different public health insurance options, and it is important to understand
their basic differences if you intend to use each service properly.
For Fort Myers residents who are making the transition
into an assisted living facility, Medicaid can offer valuable financial
assistance. But if those residents did not plan their Medicaid application
process properly, then there could be Medicaid penalties to pay that will cost
a lot of money.
There is a lot for a Medicaid applicant to understand
when it comes to applying for Medicaid benefits. One of the more significant
topics to understand is Medicaid penalties and how they can affect your ability
to qualify for Medicaid. If you do your Medicaid application planning well in
advance, then the penalties are not quite as intimidating. But if you waited
until it was time for you or your loved one to transfer to assisted living to
submit your application, then you could be looking at penalties.
As you start to transition your life to an assisted
living facility, you will need to get the Medicaid application process started.
It is important to understand that the Medicaid application process is
complicated and can take a long time. It is not something you should try to do
without the help of an experienced legal professional. There can be a lot of
different things that affect your Medicaid application and your ability to get
the benefits when you need them.
Life changes for everyone; even people who are
residents in assisted living facilities. A change in your family might mean
that you want to move to a different state to be closer to loved ones. The
problem is that you are not sure if you can just transfer your Medicaid
benefits from your current state to a new one. By understanding how Medicaid is
structured and administered, you can find out if you can move to a new state
and keep your Medicaid benefits.
After every attempt has been made to allow your elderly
loved one to live in their own home, it is time to transition them into an
assisted living facility. You will need to apply to Medicaid to get the funding
you need to pay for assisted living, and that could be a problem if you have
given no thought to paying for assisted living in the past. The decisions you
have made in previous years could come back as you try to determine who pays
for the nursing home while the Medicaid application is being considered.
When a North Fort Myers resident is getting ready to
transition into assisted living, they will inevitably start the Medicaid
application process. Before you get involved in that Medicaid application
process, you should hire an experienced elder law attorney to help with the
many potential Medicaid penalties you could be facing.
Not every assisted living facility is considered equal.
In most cases, different facilities are equipped to handle different types of
residents. A facility that is able to handle residents with physical disabilities
is not necessarily going to be able to offer quality care for people with
mental challenges. If your loved one’s condition changes or they are afflicted
with another condition that contradicts the abilities of the facility they are
living in, then they might need to move.
Medicaid planning is not something that starts the moment you decide that you or a loved one need to go into an assisted living facility. It is a process that should start years before that. It should include regular updates to reflect changes in your life. The residents of Bonita Springs have some very comfortable assisted living facilities to choose from. Every Bonita Springs resident needs to utilize a Medicaid planning checklist. This will make sure they get the assisted living facility of their choice.