Seems obvious, right? In daily life, a transfer happens when property changes hands. You can transfer money between bank accounts or transfer germs between school children. In grilling and smoking, “transfer” means removing food from the grill or smoker. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple in the Medicaid world. [Read More]
You Need a Medicaid Guidebook – and an Expert Guide, too
Iowa Medicaid – sometimes called Title XIX (Title 19) – is a mashup of federal statutes and regulations, state-specific rule tweaks, and both formal and informal agency policies. The system itself is intricate enough, but then the individual case workers who process Medicaid applications don’t always apply the rules in the same way. It’s virtually impossible to navigate the maze without a guide. [Read More]
The Planning Effect
Sitting bedside with her husband after his stroke, Jane is talking with the discharge planner for the local hospital. After discussing the level of care John will need, Jane and the planner have decided that the nursing home connected with the hospital is the only viable option for John’s needs. Now Jane needs to visit the nursing home and figure out how she will pay for John’s care. [Read More]
The Biggest Mistake You Shouldn’t Make Before Turning 65
We are about to experience – some say we’re already experiencing – the biggest workforce shift from full time work to retirement in United States history. If you’re a Baby Boomer, you are a part of this generational transition. If you can see retirement on the horizon, then I have a warning for you: there’s a train following close behind retirement that you absolutely must plan for: nursing home care. [Read More]
3 Myths About Medicaid for Nursing Home Care
Nursing homes are incentivized by the state to perpetuate the hoax because the daily nursing home rate paid by the state is lower than the private pay rate. Lawyers who don’t know anything about the Medicaid regulations are telling people they have no options for planning for Medicaid eligibility. How do you overcome misinformation or a lack of information? You get educated. Here are three myths, rooted in the Medicaid Planning Hoax, that are all wet. [Read More]
The Shocking Truth About Iowa Estate Recovery
Many people believe that they’ve protected their house/retirement/savings by adding a child to the title or creating a life estate. If you’re planning ahead for the cost of your long-term care, the nursing home’s not the one you need to worry about. It’s not Medicaid, either. Not really. The monster in the closet, the creature under the bed is the state Estate Recovery Program. For many people – including most lawyers – Estate Recovery is something straight out of their financial nightmares. [Read More]
High Five: 5 Things Your Nursing Home Social Worker Won’t Tell You
At an average of $180 per day in Iowa, paying $60,000 per year for a nursing home is not only likely, but it’s almost guaranteed. Staring that number in the face can make your stress level rise pretty quickly. So, you ask the nursing home social worker for information about applying for Medicaid. Unfortunately, nursing homes are being put in a position where they simply can’t talk to their patients about Medicaid eligibility planning. As a result, there are a few things the nursing home social worker may not tell you. [Read More]
How to Take Control of the High Cost of Nursing Home Care
Nursing homes are expensive. Whether you’re looking at long-term care insurance well in advance of needing care or you’re visiting with the nursing home admissions office to move your elderly mother into her room tomorrow, you know that the out-of-pocket costs for nursing home care can quickly reach five digits. Paying $60,000 per year is not only likely, but it’s almost guaranteed. In the face of numbers like this, it’s only natural to despair. But you don’t have to feel lost as you face down the looming nursing home crisis. [Read More]
The Great Medicaid Planning Hoax
According to www.longtermcare.gov, 28% of people aren’t planning for future nursing home care because long-term care costs are so high, and 45% of people simply don’t know how to plan. My own experience with both advisors and clients reflects this. As a long-term care planning attorney, this is concerning to me: there are many, many options for planning for future long-term care needs, but people don’t know they exist! This is a significant problem, but there’s a solution available if we know why the problem exists. [Read More]
