Government benefits programs all seem to have one thing in common: they’re confusing. Medicare is certainly no exception, particularly as it relates to coverage for nursing home costs. There are two different government programs that can potentially pay for nursing home costs, which are fundamentally different but easily confused because Congress, in its great wisdom, […]
Why It’s Unwise to Put Off Planning
There are two basic truths when it comes to nursing home placement. The first is that no one would rather be in a nursing home than their own home. The second is that nursing homes are never empty or close to it. The reconciliation of these two truths is that many elders eventually, despite their […]
Elder Law Minute: DRA Adoption Is Not the End of the World
It seems to be tougher and tougher for people to qualify for Medicaid. Illinois has adopted a law called the Deficit Reduction Act, which increases the amount of time that gifts will be taken into consideration from 3 years to 5 years. While this new law does make it more difficult to qualify for Medicaid, […]
Elder Law Minute: Medicare Complete – Medicare Advantage Plans
In this Elder Law Minute, Wes Coulson talks about Medicare Complete plans. A Medicare Complete plan is actually a Medicare HMO that works as a substitute for Medicare. A Medicare Complete plan does not cover Medicare days in the nursing home. Medicare Complete is not the same as a Medicare supplement policy. Hi, I’m Wes […]
Answers or Solutions?
Last month when we were visiting a local assisted living facility on National Healthcare Directives Day, I spoke to a resident who identified himself as a war-time veteran. He was reading our brochure on veterans’ pension benefits. I asked him if he had looked into the possibility of his qualifying for those benefits. He said […]
