Posts tagged as:

Estate Planning

Slashed Medicaid Rates Likely to Hurt Both Providers and Consumers

by Jerrold Bartholomew December 4, 2009

Earlier this fall, Michigan legislators considered a new proposal calling for a 3% tax on physicians’ gross revenues, a move which would allow Michigan to raise its low Medicaid re-imbursement rates by 4% across the board. The proposal, as it turns out, ignited a firestorm of opposition, with several hundred doctors and others in the [...]

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End of Year Estate Planning?

by Jerrold Bartholomew November 10, 2009

Many people develop and execute a tax plan between now and the end of the year. With just about seven weeks remaining in the year, it is time to move quickly.
But very few people need to plan their gifting for tax purposes anymore. With the estate tax being eliminated in 2010 and the estate [...]

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Boomer Misconception

by Jerrold Bartholomew August 20, 2009

I would like to take a moment to address what I believe to be a huge misconception – if not deception – by some in the elder care industry: that the ranks of seniors today are on the brink of exploding due to Baby Boomers crossing the threshold to the elder world of significant [...]

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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 [...]

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Tougher estate recovery coming to Michigan?

by Jerrold Bartholomew November 20, 2008

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has apparently rejected Michigan’s proposed estate recovery program. Michigan’s proposed legislation was unique not only for being last in the union to be enacted, but also for being exceptionally lenient. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Michigan will be required to enact a more aggressive approach [...]

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FAQ: What is the community spouse resource allowance?

by Jerrold Bartholomew October 16, 2008

Medicaid qualification is full of its own jargon that can make the process a mystery to almost anyone. One key concept to understand is the “community spouse resource allowance.” To speak in the jargon of Medicaid for a moment, the community spouse resource allowance is the value of non-exempt assets that a married couple is [...]

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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 [...]

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FAQ: What is estate recovery?

by Jerrold Bartholomew September 1, 2008

Estate recovery is a state program created to recoup the costs of providing care to Medicaid long-term care recipients. Once a Medicaid recipient passes away, the state uses a variety of legal processes to take the remaining assets of that Medicaid recipient to the extent of Medicaid benefits provided. The state’s ability to take assets [...]

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Senior years transformed by Internet

by Jerrold Bartholomew July 23, 2008

Who says that blogging and nursing homes don’t go together?
There is a pair of stories in the news this week that contrasts different seniors’ comfort levels with the internet. The first is highlighted over at the Greatest American Lawyer, where Enrico Schaeffer posts on the death of the world’s oldest blogger:
“An Australian woman often described [...]

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Current Scam Affecting Michigan Citizens

by Jerrold Bartholomew July 23, 2008

I recently received a letter offering a “Certified Copy” of the deed to my home. The offer explains that the Federal Citizen Information Center recommends that every home owner have a certified deed and that the National Deed Service could provide a deed for just $59.95. There actually is an article at the Federal [...]

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