Medicare News and Articles
Protection of Assets from the Nursing Home for Married Applicants 2026
Take a look at our latest page. It lists many ways that married couples can save all their assets from Medicaid spend down. No other website gives you this information. Very few attorneys know this information, even those who practice Elder Law. Here is the link http://Protection of Assets from the Nursing Home for Married Applicants
Choose a Certified Elder Law Attorney
Though I’m retired I’m still active in the Michigan Elder Law listserv. I am surprised how many attorneys practicing Elder Law do not know the basic law. I won’t bore with details but very recently an attorney posted about a couple with the wife in the nursing home and applying for Medicaid. The husband had
Blog Series: This is The Law: Elder Law
We have started a blog series which we call “This Is The Law: Elder Law.” For each post or page we will give you the citation of the applicable federal law and Michigan law. In Elder Law we focus on two main areas: Medicare and Medicaid. Both are federal programs. Medicaid is a federal program
5 Ways the Medicaid Community Spouse Can Save All the Assets
I asked Google the following question: I am in Michigan. My spouse is in a nursing home. Can I save all our assets and have Medicaid pay the nursing home? No, you cannot save all of your combined countable assets, but Michigan’s spousal protection rules allow the healthy spouse at home to keep a large
You can avoid Michigan Medicaid Estate Recovery even if you did not plan ahead.
A couple days ago Barron’s Market Watch had a very interesting article about Medicaid Estate Recovery titled “Yes, the government can take your home after a Medicaid recipient dies. Here’s how to protect yourself.” You can read a pdf of the story here What should you do when you receive the Michigan Estate Recovery
Court Order of Support for the Community Spouse
The cost of long term care is catastrophic. According to Michigan’s Medicaid agency, the Department of Health and Human services the average cost of nursing home care is $12,216. See the Department’s Bridges Eligibility Manual item 405 page 14 here. The role the court order of support is little appreciated by many “Elder Law” attorneys.
Divorce and One Spouse Going into a Nursing Home.
Whenever the discussion about long term care arises in during a divorce, it is common to hear Elder Law attorneys recommend “Medicaid planning.” The problem is that Medicaid planning necessarily contemplates a period of ineligibility. That means that life savings are used to pay the nursing home. The truth is Medicaid planning is not needed
Poor Care in a “Dementia Care” Facility Is Common.
Recently the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health News published an in-depth report on nursing home violence which has been a continuing problem in many nursing homes for years. You read it here. We note that on July 19, 2026 NPR also published an article on the investigation titled “Violence repeatedly erupts in dementia care despite
A Geriatric Care Manager Can Help an Elder Navigate Many Difficult Life Issues
There was a recent article in the Detroit Free Press (May 18, 2026) Managing doctors, meds and housing: How geriatric care managers help families cope . You can read the article here. The article relays the benefits of the use of a “Geriatric Care Manager” (GCM) as your guide through the maze of public and
Probate in Michigan? Not Bad if You Know What To Do
Many people think that Probate in Michigan is long, difficult and in a word “impossible.” It is not really that bad, IF you know what to do. First let’s put down the basic facts about Michigan probate. Should you hire a lawyer? You don’t need a lawyer. You can do it yourself if you have
What Is Medicaid Estate Recovery?
On March 6, 2024 Representative Jan Schakowsky reintroduced the “Stop Unfair Medicaid Recoveries Act.” That means if someone in your family who is age 55 and over and receives Medicaid long term care services, when they die their “estate” must pay back Medicaid every dollar. As some folks say “the government gets your home.” What
Mom is in a nursing home. Is it true, will Medicaid “take the home”?
Here’s a common situation. Dad has died Mom has been living in the home with help of the children. She refused to leave and live with her daughter. Then she had a bad fall, broke her hip and she could not return to home so she had to stay in a nursing home. The kids