By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-02-02 11:28:03 | Word Count: 664
Medicaid may pay the full cost of the seniors residence in a Nursing Home, only if the senior meets the financial eligibility standards for the state that the senior lives in. Also, the doctor must determine that the senior needs nursing home care. Medicaid in a federal program available in each state, and it provides medical care and long-term care for seniors with low-income or very few assets. The exact level of income and assets that determines a seniors eligibility varies from state to state.
As long as the senior is in a nursing home, Medicaid will continue to pay for the seniors care. If a senior has too much income to qualify for the full Medicaid coverage of the nursing home costs, Medicaid may still find the senior eligible. Seniors may qualify for Medicaid if they have slightly too much income if most of that income is going to nursing home care costs. Nursing homes will charge seniors more for nursing home care if they do not have the help of Medicaid. Medicaid pays for less than someone who is paying out-of-pocket, therefore, nursing homes only allow so many Medicaid residents at a time in the nursing home. Some nursing homes have a Medicaid waiting list for seniors who wish to move into the senior care facility. If the senior is all ready living in a nursing home, and starts receiving Medicaid services, the senior will remain in the nursing home regardless. It is a good idea to start looking into all of the nursing homes in the seniors area to determine which nursing homes take Medicaid residents, and which nursing homes have a waiting list for seniors receiving Medicaid.
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The value of a home the applicant lives in does not count in determining assets, however, if your senior loved one has a spouse in a nursing home, there may be limits on income and assets to qualify for Medicaid to pay for the nursing home fees. The spouse would need to talk with a Medicare consultant regarding the family home and other assets to determine if Medicaid can pay for the seniors long term care. Usually, the spouse is able to keep the family home as long as the senior lives in it and owns it, regardless of the value of the home. However, if the seniors home equity is over a certain limit, they may not qualify for Medicaid nursing home coverage. This home equity value varies in each state. Also, Medicaid has the right to be reimbursed for the value of the home when both of the seniors die. Medicaid may place a lien on the house(estate recovery) until the nursing home costs are paid, but Medicaid will not force the surviving senior out of the house if the senior is still married. You will need to look into the Medicare stipulations regarding the family home if a senior’s spouse is still living in the home.
To find out the specific Medicaid eligibility rules and procedures for nursing home coverage in the senior’s state, use the internet to search Medicaid Nursing Home and the state the senior lives in. It is best to go directly to the website of the Medicaid services for seniors in the specific state. Seniors can also go to the benefits.gov website and click on the name of the state the senior is interested in. There are a lot of options for senior care in each state, and many senior care facilities accept Medicaid applicants.
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