Medicare News and Articles
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
What is Elder Law? What isn’t?
Elder law concerns the legal issues that confront seniors because they are elders. We might say there are three broad categories of life issues that Elder Law addresses. Our first category is government and private benefits. A good example is Social Security for those age 65 and over. The second category is Elder Law focused
Post-Hospital Rehab – Your Medicare Advantage Plan has Huge Co-pays and Deductibles!
Many healthy seniors choose a low monthly payment for a Medicare Advantage plan. But when a health emergency strikes -say a broken hip that requires post surgery rehab – the co-pays and deductibles can be horrific! But, you can change your plan without waiting for the end of year open enrollment. A little known provision
Senior Alert: You Can Lose Your Home and Everything You Own to the Government.
If you enter the nursing home for long term care, you will likely need Medicaid to pay the bill. After you die Medicaid will want every dollar, dime, nickel and penny paid back. Blame Medicaid Estate Recovery. It doesn’t matter if you served our country, paid all your taxes and committed no crime – unless
Why a Childless Senior/Couple Should Have a Trust.
I’ll get right to the point. There are two reasons to have a trust: 1) You; 2) your Stuff. Question: What is more important to you, You or your Stuff? I think you can see why I find it very curious that all articles on trusts for retirees deal with their stuff. What about You?
10 potentially fatal injuries that should not happen in a nursing home or assisted living facility and what to do.
Over the 22 plus years I have been in elder law I have too often received the call from the family “Dad died last night.” He went to a nursing home after a hospitalization and they planned he would return home after a few weeks. But, it didn’t happen. It is true, seriously ill elders
Retirement Community Residents Have Contractual Rights
Interesting case from the Michigan Court of Appeals brought to our attention by attorney Jeanne Hannah (author of “Taking Charge: Good Medical Care for the Elderly and How to Get It”) about contracts in retirement communities. First the lesson then the case. The moral is retirement communities are bound by their, lengthy multi-page, contracts. The
How to get good care in a nursing home – the role of the LTC Ombudsman
I have written many times before about how the advocate for the nursing home resident-patient must know the rights of the resident. What if the nursing home staff do not listen? Is it “your word against theirs?” No. Residents (under the Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 the people in nursing homes are referred to
10 Common Mistakes That Guarantee Probate
Everybody wants their children to inherit their property and have no problems after they die. And, that’s why they want to avoid probate. They hear it is always slow, complicated and expensive. While I note that description is not true, there are simple mistakes that guarantee it will be slow, complicated, expensive and many times,