When parents who were in an assisted living facility
being paid for in part or in whole by Medicaid passes on, Medicaid may try to
do what is called an estate recovery. Unless you and your parents take
preventative measures before signing up for Medicaid, then you will find that
Medicaid may have the right to seize all of your parent’s assets and liquidate
them to pay for the costs of their care. Unless you do something to prevent it,
this recovery of assets will include your parent’s house. But there is something
you can do.
After living in an assisted living facility for several
years, it has been determined that your parents need special medical attention
that can only be found in a facility in a neighboring state. You have always
heard that Medicaid is a federally funded program, so you figure that it would
be no problem moving your parents to a different state. It is not until you
actually start the process that you realize what you are up against.
The discussion about the affect of life insurance on a Medicaid application has a lot to do with money. It is true that most of the Medicaid application process has to do with money, but the rules regarding life insurance are a little more straightforward than other assets. There are a lot of questions people have about applying for Medicaid which makes hiring an elder law professional a necessity during the application process. With help on your side, you can be better prepared for some of the surprises the application process brings.
When the time comes for you to transition into an
assisted living situation, you will want to put your Medicaid application in as
soon as possible. It can take several months to complete a Medicaid
application, and there are many different criteria Medicaid uses when judging
your application. Before you start filling out your application, there are a
few considerations you need to make when it comes to qualifying for coverage.
Most people know that Medicaid is the service that helps people to pay for part, or sometimes all, of the costs associated with assisted living. But will Medicaid also pay for in-home care services? Some people prefer to live at home as opposed to moving into a nursing home situation. Even though the person will be living at home, they still need some sort of financial assistance. Not everyone may be able to get assistance from family or friends.
In 2018, the average cost for a semi-private room in an American nursing home was $120,000.00 per year. With costs like that, it is easy to see why so many families have trouble getting their elderly loved ones into a decent facility. The federal insurance program called Medicaid can help with the expenses, but it takes time to get Medicaid in place before your loved one enters a nursing home, and it takes plenty of effort to keep Medicaid going after their stay has begun. (more…)