Posts tagged as:

Elder Law

Blue Cross Reform Pending: Will Health Insurance Be Any More Affordable?

by Jerrold Bartholomew May 4, 2008

Several reforms to Michigan’s Blue Cross Health Insurance are currently pending in the Michigan Legislature. Proponents hope that these reforms will help reduce the costs of health care in Michigan, while advocates for the health insurance industry voice concerns about declining revenues and increased costs. The issues are complicated, but it seems fair to say [...]

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Understanding Medicaid Planning

by Jerrold Bartholomew April 24, 2008

Sue Schiebel has written an excellent article on Medicaid Planning. While her article concerns MassHealth, which is the Massachusetts Medicaid program, the rules and ideas explained are the same in Michigan. She writes:
A lot of middle-aged people don’t realize Medicare, the federal health insurance program, pays for a very limited amount of skilled nursing home [...]

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Estate Planning and Michigan Real Property Taxes

by Jerrold Bartholomew April 4, 2008

Estate Planning often involves transfer of real property. Care must be taken to avoid incurring unnecessary property taxes as an asset protection plan is carried out.
One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is the so-called uncapping of property taxes. In Michigan, property taxes can only increase by a fixed percentage each year, regardless of the [...]

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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. [...]

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Estate Recovery

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 10, 2008

You have perhaps heard that Michigan passed a form of estate recovery in September of 2007, becoming the last state in the union to do so. Estate recovery is a program through which states attempt to recoup the costs of Medicaid long-term care benefits paid out from the estate of the Medicaid recipient. Although Michigan [...]

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Rapid Changes in Medicaid Law Require Constant Vigilance

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 7, 2008

An astounding thing happened during the fall of 2007. Michigan changed its Medicaid policy with respect to annuities and implemented those changes with retroactive effect.
The new policy requires annuities to have several features in order to avoid being considered a divestment. Among the requirements is a rule that the state of Michigan must be named [...]

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Late Life Divorce and Asset Protection

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 5, 2008

Many Elder law attorneys advise loving couples to pursue divorce as a method of asset protection. I have never found the technique necessary and, frankly, find the approach ethically questionable. Alternatives exist for both pre-planning and crisis planning that avoid the murky waters of a consensual divorce between an otherwise happily-wed pair. It is [...]

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Long Term Care Insurance for Everyone?

by Jerrold Bartholomew March 1, 2008

States have begun to encourage all citizens to obtain long term care insurance as part of the Deficit Reduction Act. No one likes paying premiums on insurance, but for those of modest means, the premiums are especially burdensome and the benefits, considering that Medicaid is available when the assets run out, negligible. According to this [...]

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