One of my biggest concerns

sherryandwilliam

I am concerned about having to get medicaid for my husband in the future for help with caregiving Having to meet there spend downs and leaving me in bad financial situation for my life after. I have researched it all. I know that is just the way it is. So my only plan to avoid is to keep him home until the end. Which I would want to do anyway. I can't see any way around this. So far I have had no help whatsoever from outside sources, I am 24/7 with him

M1

worth a legal consult to have a plan Sherry. What if something unexpected happened to you? This happened to plenty of people on this forum.

Quilting brings calm

there are different types of Medicaid. The kind where he’s at home and gets Medicaid to pay for health care etc. The kind where he is in an approved AL/MC and gets partial reimbursement for certain care needs there- called Medicaid waivers. ( hard to find a facility that accepts it). The kind where he is in a nursing home. Called institutional Medicaid. Check into that one - especially as it s what assets the community spouse ( that’s you) is able to keep in order to have a ‘dignified life’.

BevSeef

I am new and this is my first post. I have the same concerns and have been trying to navigate the medicaid jungle. My husband will not cooperate with any plans so I find myself stuck in this no man's land and iot is very stressful. I wish I had some suggestions for you but I offer my empathy and understanding as you wade through this.

marier

I did look into medicaid initially her in AZ. I did complete the application and was approved medically. Financially my husband qualified but my income and our savings would require hugh buy down before medicaid would assist. There are some ways around the buy down per legal counsel. There are no guarantees. There are some attorneys that will give you free visit to discuss and others charge for it. Overall most attorneys wanted around $2500 - $9000 to help with getting him qualified financially.

My DH is a vet and the VA has been most helpful assisting me with care and now hospices. I hope to be able to keep him at home until he passes.

fehk82

This is a concern for me as well. My husband is 12 years older than me, I’ll need what we’ve saved for retirement. I’ll bet dollars to donuts I’ll be working until my death because I can’t seem to get any answers and the retirement funds will be spent for his care.

White Crane

Hi, Sherry, first of all, if you haven't done it already, you need to talk to a certified elderlaw attorney. If you have trouble finding one, you can look on www.nelf.org. Some will give you a free consult. Second, each state has different rules for Medicaid so a lot depends on where you live. Third, please don't put this off. I know you want to keep your DH home until the end but sometimes that isn't possible.

My DH has been in MC since January. I had intended to keep him home for the duration but he got pneumonia and was hospitalized. This left him too weak and confused for me to bring him home. I could no longer take care of him. I had consulted two elderlaw attorneys in the last two or three years but was not impressed with either of them. One wanted $10,000 and the other gave me very little useful information. I finally found an elderlaw attorney who was both informative and affordable. With her help, I have managed to qualify my DH for Medicaid and still be able to pay my bills. Since January, I have downsized to a smaller house and complete the necessary spend down. It was a lot of work but I now feel less anxious and DH is being taken care of. I hope some of this helps. Please don't put off having a plan of action in case you need it. Sending hugs.

Brenda

blacksparky

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/70725/one-of-my-biggest-concerns

My DW was diagnosed about one year ago. From what I can tell, she is definitely in the middle stages. I too am concerned about getting Her into Medicaid. From the responses I’ve read her, I need to find an elder lawyer and find out what needs to be done. Just like me just enjoy the present time with your LO while you can.

sherryandwilliam

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/223783#Comment_223783

I do enjoy my time with my husband. He has been diagnosed six years ago was just wandering what others in the same boat have done

sherryandwilliam

Thanks. I have looked up the medicaid rules in New York. Very familiar with the spend down and spousal impoverish protections. I guess elder attorney will be needed if and when I decide medicaid is the only way to go.

Bob in LW

I'm in California, which is a "community property" state. I have heard of couples, who had been married for a long time, getting a divorce so that they could divide their assets because one of them was going into long term care. The one in the care facility would spend down their assets and then apply for Medicaid without affecting the other spouse's assets.

FAHNJL

Same position. I have a great CELA, and all the docs are done. Medicaid is a different animal, however. To drill down to a specific issue, my DW was diagnosed with EA at 63. We live in Texas. In our state, Medicaid exempts retirement savings (401K, IRAs) from counted assets. We have substantial such retirement savings. However, the rules state that only tax-exempt retirement accounts ‘in payout status’ are exempt. Unbelievably, nobody seems to know what that means. Do you have to be at least 73 and taking RMDs? Can you take out $1 a year? My CELA and her CELA group meets with state Medicaid people periodically, and they have yet to provide a definitive answer. It’s a huge elephant in the room for me. What if DW had to go to MC before she’s 73? I’m meeting with my CELA again next month, and maybe there will be a clarification by then. Is anybody else having a problem with this? You folks in different states, what are your rules on retirement savings being exempted from countable assets?