No matter what kind of health insurance plan you have, all health insurance plans -- Medicare, Blue Cross, and the like -- will only pay for the first 100 days of nursing home care. After that, you must private pay, or have a long-term care insurance policy that will.
At an average of approximately $10,000/month and with the exorbitant price of long-term care insurance out of most people's reach, most people of average or normal means cannot afford nursing home care for very long. Consequently, a person needing nursing home care must apply for Medicaid to help pay for it.
Medicaid is no longer considered government-assisted health care for just the poorest of the poor.
QUALIFYING FOR MASSHEALTH / MEDICAID ASSISTANCE
In Massachusetts, the Medicaid program is called MassHealth. In order to qualify for MassHealth, you must disclose all of your assets and income, as well as all transfers that you may have made within the past five years.
The rules for qualifying for MassHealth are complex and ever-changing. Both the state and federal governments are looking for more and more ways to pay for Medicaid. You will not be eligible to receive MassHealth assistance for nursing home care until you have only $2,000 left of your own assets (the rest must go to pay the nursing home or be spent-down on certain approved items.) The government will also "look-back" at all expenses, checks, and gifts that you made for the past five years prior to a Medicaid application.
Any gifts of transfers during the look-back period will likely be a "disqualifying transfer." If you make such a transfer (or if you have more than $2,000 in assets), you will be disqualified from Medicaid assistance for a period of time. In many cases, the penalty period extends beyond the period of time in which you only have $2,000 to your name.
A person's home is a Medicaid asset, and the rules require you to sell your home to pay for nursing home care, or else the state places a lien on your house in order to recoup the cost of the care you will receive.
HOW WE CAN ASSIST
Regardless of whether you need advance or crisis planning, the key is retain an elder law attorney who is familiar with the complex MassHealth laws, its frequent changes, and the safe harbors that are available.
We take very serious our ability to responsibly serve the elder population, through regular participation in these organizations, attendance at seminars, and speaking opportunities. |