If you or a loved one is unable to return home from the hospital after an injury or illness, you’ll need to consider long-term care.
Do You Need Help?
Many people assume that the only way to qualify for Medicaid is to deplete all their resources until their income and assets fall below limits set by the government.
Fortunately, our Norton Shores elder law attorney can help you protect the bulk of your assets from a Medicaid spend-down.
When Medicare Pays (or Doesn’t Pay)
If you were admitted and kept at a hospital for three midnights, Medicare will partially cover nursing home costs. While Medicare can help pay for up to 100 days of nursing home care, this is seldom the case. On average, Medicare pays for only 21 days of nursing home care.
How Families Cope
Just because Medicare stops paying for nursing home care, doesn’t mean your loved one is ready or able to return home. When Medicare stops paying for nursing home care, many families use their life savings to make sure their loved ones continue to get the care they need. However, this situation is not sustainable over the many years you or your loved one will require round-the-clock care.
How We Can Help
To be eligible for Medicaid, your income and assets must be below limits set by the government. If you don’t know how you’ll pay for nursing home care, schedule a consultation with our Medicaid planning attorney as soon as possible. Before you apply for Medicaid, our attorney will be able to help you come up with strategies to protect your assets.
Although the Michigan Medicaid application appears simple enough at first glance, in most cases it must be accompanied by hundreds of pages of supporting financial documents. In fact, many Medicaid applications are denied because there wasn’t enough documentation of income and assets. Fortunately, our elder law attorney can help you sort through the paperwork and understand how Medicaid fits into your retirement planning.
Our Norton Shores elder law attorney can help you understand your Michigan Medicaid application and how it affects retirement planning. To schedule your consultation with Medicaid attorney Douglas H. McPhail, call (231) 799-4994.