How to Qualify for Medicaid: Eligibility and Transfer Rules

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

In order to qualify for Medicaid, a nursing home resident's income must not be above a certain level. ...

Medicaid 101

A recent Louisiana case shows the harmful impact on Medicaid eligibility that the lack of a written caregiving agreement can have.  ...

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

Many people believe that if they give away an amount equal to the annual gift tax exclusion -- which is currently $15,000 to any one individual -- this gift will be exempted from Medicaid's five-year look-back at transfers that could...

Although their names are confusingly alike, Medicaid and Medicare are quite different programs.

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

A fear that the government will seize their house after they die is causing some people to not sign up for expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

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