How to Qualify for Medicaid: Eligibility and Transfer Rules

One area that causes a lot of confusion with regard to Medicaid is the look-back period. What exactly does the look-back period mean for Medicaid applicants?...

Medicaid 101

Most long-term care involves assisting with basic personal needs rather than providing medical care.

Medicaid 101

There are circumstances in which transferring a house will not result in a Medicaid penalty period, and one of those is if the Medicaid applicant transfers the house to a "caretaker child."  ...

Medicaid 101

In some states (called "income cap" states), Medicaid applicants who have excess income can qualify for Medicaid only if they put the excess in a special trust, called a "Miller" trust or a "Qualified Income Trust.

Medicaid 101

When one spouse is in a nursing home and applying for Medicaid, planning has to take into account the possibility that the spouse who is not in the nursing home (called the "community spouse") may pass away first.

Medicaid 101

For many Medicaid applicants, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are one of their biggest assets. If you do not plan properly, IRAs can count as an available asset and affect Medicaid eligibility.

Medicaid 101

When one member of a couple moves to a nursing home, we expect that spouse will be the first to die, but this isn’t always the case. What happens if a Medicaid recipient's spouse dies first?...

Medicaid 101

The "community spouse resource allowance" or CSRA assures that the spouses of Medicaid applicants will be able to keep at least some of the couple's assets.  ...

Medicaid 101

When most of a couple's income is in the name of the spouse who is receiving Medicaid, the spouse remaining in the community may wonder what he or she will live on. Medicaid has created some protections for the community spouse.

Medicaid 101