How to Qualify for Medicaid: Eligibility and Transfer Rules

Around the country, a handful of new approaches are being tried to do away with the hospital model for nursing homes and replace it with care that gives meaning to residents' lives, according to an article in the Washington Post.

'Nursing Home Compare,' the government Web site that disseminates information about conditions in individual nursing homes, has major flaws that can mislead families seeking a safe facility, according to a Congressional report. More . . .

A draft federal report showing that nine out of 10 U.S. nursing homes are understaffed is now available for download from the Web. More . . .

The Court of Appeals of Iowa has ruled that a trust that terminates if it causes a Medicaid applicant to be denied benefits should still be counted among the applicant's assets. More . . .

In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision allowing states to use what is known as the "income-first" rule. Because of this decision, depending on the state, a community spouse of a Medicaid recipient could quickly be thrown into poverty...

Medicaid 101

A new article suggests that retirement portfolios generally last longer if the assets are invested mostly in stocks. 'Making Retirement Income Last a Lifetime,' Journal of Financial Planning, December 2001. More . . .

On the morning of December 3, 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in its first elder law case. Wisconsin Dep't of Health & Family Servs v. Blumer, No. 00-952. The case is an important one for the...

A California court says that a nursing home was largely responsible for the injuries of a resident who accidentally set himself on fire while smoking. Lawson v. Skyline Healthcare Center (Cal. Ct. App., 2 App. Dist., B142164, Oct. 3, 2001)...

A new AARP study of baby boomers who are caring for both young children and aging parents finds that race, ethnicity and income play a crucial role in how they are coping with their responsibilities.