Medicaid – The State’s Bizarro World
You may be a fan of Superman or, like me, Seinfeld, and so are familiar with the term “bizarro” or “bizarro world”. The term is part of popular culture. Wikipedia’s definition is a weirdly mutilated version of anything. I am fond of telling clients that entering the “Medicaid world” means
The Danger of Acting on the Wrong Information
If you have ever struggled through the long term care system you know that getting accurate information is one of the most frustrating aspects. It seems the more people you talk to the more confusing and contradictory the process becomes. Acting on the wrong information can be costly. A call
No Money, No Transfers, No Medicaid – What Gives?
I received a call the other day from Mary who was at her wits end. Last year her dad’s Medicaid application had been denied. Dad’s finances were quite simple. He had no money to his name. What little he had in savings he had spent down for his care and
The Long Term Care Perfect Storm
Two articles in the local paper last week reminded me again of how a number of forces are combining in the coming months and years to really make the long term care issue an acute problem for many Americans, creating a “perfect storm” to use a popular phrase of recent
The Right Way and the Wrong Way to Reduce a Medicaid Penalty
There are many reasons why the Medicaid program is so confusing to the general public. Perhaps, the greatest source of misunderstanding is the Medicaid penalty. And that mystification can cost literally thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Allow me to explain. The Medicaid penalty is actually a period of months
How Does Medicaid View Long Term Care Insurance?
Mary cared for her husband, John, at home. John had long term care insurance to help pay for a home health aide. However, over time, keeping John at home simply became impossible and Mary was forced to place him in a nursing facility. She applied the insurance towards the cost
Is Medicaid Really Biased?
So often, when families call in the midst of a long term care crisis, their primary concern, they tell us, is to care for their loved one at home. For some that will be impossible, as their medical needs require nursing home care. But, for others, home care is possible.
“But We Did Exactly What the Medicaid Caseworker Said”
So many ways to get tripped up by the Medicaid system. Here’s yet another one. John was agent under power of attorney for his mom who was in a nursing facility. Over the past 3 years he had spent Mom’s money down for her care and then applied for Medicaid.
How to Avoid Committing Medicaid Fraud
When it comes to long term care planning, the earlier the better. One of the primary reasons is the Medicaid 5 year look back. Medicaid will look back through 5 years of your financial records to determine if you have done anything with your money that would cause you to
When Might a Gift of $13,000 Per Year Still Be Subject to Tax?
Mary‘s dad lived a long life, passing away at 80. He left a 1.5 million dollar estate. In an effort to minimize estate taxes he had started a gifting program amongst his 3 children and 9 grandchildren, which had reduced his estate by almost $500,000 in the last 3 years