From: mha23x@gmail.com   
      
   How can I pay for nursing home care?   
      
      
   There are many ways you can pay for nursing home care. Most people who enter   
   nursing homes begin by paying for their care out-of-pocket. As you use your   
   resources (like bank accounts and stocks) over a period of time, you may   
   eventually become eligible    
   for Medicaid.   
      
   Medicare generally doesn't cover long-term care stays (room and board) in a   
   nursing home. Also, nursing home care isn't covered by many types of health   
   insurance. However, don't drop your health care coverage (including Medicare)   
   if you're in a nursing    
   home. Even if it doesn't cover nursing home care, you'll need health coverage   
   for hospital care, doctor services, and medical supplies while you're in the   
   nursing home.   
      
   There are several other ways you can pay for nursing home care:   
      
   Personal resources   
      
   You can use your personal money and savings to pay for nursing home care. Some   
   insurance companies let you use your life insurance policy to pay for   
   long-term care. Ask your insurance agent how this works.   
      
   Help from your state (Medicaid)   
      
   If you qualify for Medicaid, you may be able to get help to pay for nursing   
   home care costs. Not all nursing homes accept Medicaid payment.   
      
   Check with the nursing home to see if it accepts people with Medicaid, and if   
   it has a Medicaid bed available. You may be eligible for Medicaid coverage in   
   a nursing home even if you haven't qualified for other Medicaid services in   
   the past.   
      
   Sometimes you won't be eligible for Medicaid until you've spent some of your   
   personal resources on medical care. You may be moved to another room in the   
   Medicaid-certified section of the nursing home when your care is paid by   
   Medicaid. To get more    
   information on Medicaid eligibility requirements in your state, call your   
   Medicaid office.   
      
   Important things to know about Medicaid   
      
   Paying for care   
      
   You may have to pay out-of-pocket for nursing home care each month. The   
   nursing home will bill Medicaid for the rest of the amount. How much you owe   
   depends on your income and deductions.   
      
   Your home   
      
   The state can't put a lien on your home if one of these is true:   
      
   There's a reasonable chance you'll return home after getting nursing home care   
   You have a spouse or dependents living there   
   This means they can't take, sell, or hold your property to recover benefits   
   that are correctly paid for care while you're living in a nursing home in this   
   circumstance. In most cases, after someone who gets Medicaid nursing home   
   benefits passes away, the    
   state must try to get whatever benefits it paid for that person back from   
   their estate.    
      
   However, they can't recover on a lien against the person's home if it's the   
   residence of the person's:   
      
   Spouse, brother or sister (who has an equity interest and was residing in the   
   home at least one year prior to the nursing home admission)   
   A blind or disabled child in the family   
   A child under the age of 21 in the family   
   Your assets   
      
   Most people who are eligible for Medicaid have to reduce their assets first.   
   There are rules about what's counted as an asset and what isn't when   
   determining Medicaid eligibility. Also, states are required to let married   
   couples protect a certain amount    
   of assets and income when one spouse is in an institution (like a nursing   
   home) and one isn't.   
      
   A spouse who isn’t in an institution may keep half of the couple’s joint   
   assets, up to a maximum of $119,220 in 2016, as well as a monthly income   
   allowance. For more information, call your Medicaid office. You can also call   
   your local Area Agency on    
   Aging to find out if your state has any legal services where you could get   
   more information.   
      
   Transferring your assets   
      
   Transfers for less than fair market value may subject you to a penalty that   
   Medicaid won’t pay for your nursing home care for a period of time. How long   
   the period is depends on the value of the assets you gave away. There are   
   limited exceptions to    
   this, especially if you have a spouse, or a blind or disabled child.   
   Generally, giving away your assets can result in no payment for your nursing   
   home care, sometimes for months or even years.   
      
   Note   
   Federal law protects spouses of nursing home residents from losing all of   
   their income and assets to pay for nursing home care for their spouse. When   
   one member of a couple enters a nursing home and applies for Medicaid, his or   
   her eligibility is    
   determined under "spousal impoverishment" rules.   
   Spousal impoverishment rules help make sure that the spouse still at home will   
   have the money needed to pay for living expenses. These rules protect a   
   certain amount of the couple's resources, and at least a portion of the   
   nursing home resident's income,    
   for the spouse who's still at home. For more information, call your Medicaid   
   office.   
   Applying for Medicaid   
      
   To apply for Medicaid, call your Medicaid office. They can tell you if you   
   qualify for things like:   
      
   The Medicaid nursing home benefit   
   Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)   
   Home and community-based waiver programs   
   Get more information on Medicaid.   
      
   Long-term care insurance   
      
   This type of private insurance policy can help pay for many types of long-term   
   care, including both skilled and non-skilled care. Long-term care insurance   
   can vary widely. Some policies may cover only nursing home care. Others may   
   include coverage for a    
   whole range of services, like adult day care, assisted living, medical   
   equipment, and informal home care.   
      
   If you have long-term care insurance, check your policy or call the insurance   
   company to find out if the care you need is covered. If you're shopping for   
   long-term care insurance, find out which types of long-term care services and   
   facilities the    
   different policies cover. Also, check to see if your coverage could be limited   
   because of a pre-existing condition. Make sure you buy from a reliable company   
   that's licensed in your state.   
      
   Federal employees, members of the uniformed services, retirees, their spouses,   
   and other qualified relatives may be able to buy long-term care insurance at   
   discounted group rates. Get more information about long-term care insurance   
   for federal employees.   
      
      
      
      
   https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/part-a/paying-for-   
   ursing-home-care.html   
      
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