From the category archives:

Nursing Home

FAQ: What happens when two spouses both enter the nursing home?

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 25, 2009

When both spouses of a married couple need nursing home care, the most immediate result is a catastrophic bill of $12,000.00 per month or more. Without the advice of an elder law attorney, the couple will continue to spend down assets until their assets reach just $4,000.00 in cash. Substantially better results can be achieved [...]

Read the full article →

New Medicaid Numbers for 2009

by Jerrold Bartholomew February 1, 2009

The Department of Human Services for the State of Michigan has announced new numbers for 2009. Every year the numbers concerning Medicaid eligibility for long-term care are adjusted to reflect increases in the cost of living.
The new community spouse resource allowance is a minimum of $21,912.00 and a maximum of $109,560.00. This number is important [...]

Read the full article →

CMS publishes new nursing home rating system

by Jerrold Bartholomew December 19, 2008

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published their long-anticipated 5 star rating system for nursing homes. The breadth of the new rating system is astounding: in Michigan alone, complete information can be found on 425 nursing homes. The system offers information on the number of beds available, the types of payment accepted [...]

Read the full article →

FAQ: Why did Michigan enact estate recovery?

by Jerrold Bartholomew September 2, 2008

Estate recovery has been permitted under the Federal law since 1965. In 1993, the Federal law was changed to require states to have some form of estate recovery. Since that time, many different kinds of estate recovery programs have been enacted in different states. Michigan became the last state in the union to enact estate [...]

Read the full article →

New changes to Medicaid eligibility rules

by Jerrold Bartholomew July 27, 2008

The Michigan Department of Human Services has enacted several changes to the Medicaid eligibility rules recently that impact qualification for long-term care Medicaid.
Perhaps the most important change relates to divested assets (gifts) and the calculation of penalty periods. Generally speaking, the gifting of assets results in a period of ineligibility for Medicaid long-term care. Under [...]

Read the full article →

Detroit Nursing Homes Receive Much Needed Funding

by Jerrold Bartholomew May 6, 2008

The Michigan Department of Community Health announced today that Detroit nursing homes would receive $1.7 million for improvements. See this Free Press article for coverage. I have never visited a nursing home that did not have a dedicated, but heavily-burdened staff. And obviously there is no end to the needs of the nursing home residents. [...]

Read the full article →

An asset protection plan is vital to a secure retirement

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 31, 2008

Retirement for many people is defined as the time when they are able to live off of the income from their assets combined with Social Security and perhaps a pension. But anything from a car accident to a stay in long-term care can quickly deplete retirement assets and jeopardize the fruits of a lifetime’s work. [...]

Read the full article →

Problems with Small Insurance Policies

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 21, 2008

Yesterday, I learned of a case where a small insurance policy caused an extended period of ineligibility for Long Term Care Medicaid. This means it will be a long time before the nursing home bill gets paid, if ever.

Read the full article →

Is Long Term Care Insurance a Good Idea?

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 4, 2008

This article provides some preliminary answers to an important question for today’s retirees and elderly: Is long term care insurance a good idea?
In general, I advise clients to get long term care insurance. The effects of being unprepared for this financial tsunami are too overwhelming to do otherwise. But be careful and be informed.
Among your [...]

Read the full article →