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Summary of Medicare benefits, rights and protections, and answers to the most frequently asked questions about Medicare. (PDF, 136 pages)
If you're curious about how much care costs, this reference provides national and state averages.
This site offers details on Medicare coverage, plan options, and downloadable forms for claims and appeals.
Are you wondering if a medical expense is covered by Medicare? Use their calculator on medicare.gov to find out.
What You Need To Know About Medicaid
If you are considering the Medicaid option, then we think you might find this helpful. This comes straight from the Medicare and Medicaid booklet called Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home (PDF) which can be found on Medicare.gov.
- The state can’t put a lien on your home if there is a reasonable chance you’ll return home after getting nursing home care or if you have a spouse or dependents living there. This means they can’t take, sell, or hold your property to recover benefits that are correctly paid for nursing home care while you are living in a nursing home in this circumstance.
- In most cases, after a person who gets Medicaid nursing home benefits dies, the state must try to get whatever benefits it paid for that person back from their estate. However, they can’t recover on a lien against the person’s home if it is the residence of the person’s spouse, sibling (who has an equity interest and was residing in the home at least one year prior to the nursing home admission), or a blind or disabled child or child under the age of 21 in the family.
- Most people who are eligible for Medicaid have to reduce their assets first. There are rules about what is counted as an asset and what isn’t when determining Medicaid eligibility. There are also rules that require states to allow married couples to protect a certain amount of assets and income when one of them is in an institution (like a nursing home) and one isn’t. A spouse who isn’t in an institution may keep one half of the couples’ joint assets, up to $109,560 (in 2009) as well as a monthly income allowance. For more information, call your State Medical Assistance (Medicaid) office. You can also call your local area Agency on Aging to find out if your state has any legal services where you could get more information. You can also get free health insurance counseling from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
- You can’t give your assets away to family members or non-family members, rather than use your assets to pay for your nursing home care. If you give assets away within five years before the date you apply for Medicaid, or even after you apply, the gift may be treated as a transfer of assets for less than fair market value. Transfers for less than fair market value may subject you to a penalty, and the penalty is that Medicaid won’t pay for your nursing home care for a period of time. How long that period is depends on the value of the assets you gave away. There are limited exceptions to this, especially if you have a spouse, or a blind or disabled child. But as a general rule, giving away your assets can result in no payment for your nursing home care, possibly for many months or even years.
- Note: Federal law protects spouses of nursing home residents from losing all of their income and assets to pay for nursing home care for their spouse. When one member of a couple enters a nursing home and applies for Medicaid, his or her eligibility is determined under what are called the “spousal impoverishment” rules.
- Spousal impoverishment helps make sure that the spouse still at home will have the money needed to pay for living expenses by protecting a certain amount of the couple’s resources, as well as at least a portion of the nursing home resident’s income, for the use of the spouse who is still at home. For more information about this protection, call your State Medical Assistance (Medicaid) office.
Good bedside manner is important but focus on competency first
"Top Ten Things to Know If You're Interested in a Reverse Mortgage" by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
"How Will the Law Affect Medicare Advantage?" by The New York Times
"How Will the Law Affect Medicare Advantage?" by The New York Times
