How We Help
In the Medicaid area, we make plans to qualify seniors and disabled persons for financial help from several Medicaid programs that provide long term care benefits. After plans are complete, we represent you during the application process.
The Problem that Leads Us to Medicaid
It is traumatic when a spouse or parent leaves the family home to live in a nursing facility. As emotional as this decision is, it is also a financial decision. For many families, the prospect of paying for a nursing home is a serious threat to the family’s financial security.
Nursing home costs vary, but in the authors experience $200.00 to $270.00 a day is the norm for Florida ($6,000 to $8,000 each month). So, each year your family member stays in a nursing home the family savings may be reduced $72,000 to $96,000.
Nursing home costs are paid by Medicaid’s Institutional Care Program for those who qualify. Qualification for Medicaid can be extremely valuable to a spouse or child who is trying to take care of their loved one. To the spouse it may help insure a measure of financial security for the remainder of the spouse’s life. To the children it will help make sure that their parent never runs out of money and help protect an inheritance.
Start planning early. Each month that passes without action represents a lost opportunity to preserve wealth. For the best possible outcome, planning for medicaid benefits must begin as soon as it seems likely that a family member will need long term care. Whether a particular family should pursue Medicaid benefits should only be decided after consultation with an Elder Law Attorney. Don’t get your advice anywhere else. Do not get your advice from anyone who sells financial products! Run!! Don’t walk!
Medicaid qualification often involves a wholesale transformation of a clients assets and their estate plan. That means that ownership of accounts will probably be changed, investments may also be changed, income may be diverted to a trust or from one spouse to another. Also new deeds, wills, and trusts will be carefully prepared to avoid interrupting benefits on the death of a spouse and to avoid Medicaid liens upon the death of the Medicaid recipient. Several key areas of the law come into play and elder law attorneys train, study, and share experiences among one another so that we can spot the issues that can harm our clients. This office routinely provides such representation and analysis and looks forward to serving families in this situation.
Covered Services for Adults Under Florida Medicaid
Inpatient hospital, Outpatient hospital, Physician and physician assistant, Transplant services, Laboratory and x-ray, Skilled and intermediate care nursing facilities, State mental health hospital, Home health care, Rural health clinic, County health department clinic services, Dialysis center services, Transportation, Ambulatory surgical centers, Podiatry, Dental, Visual services, Community mental health services, Hospice, Prescribed drugs (limited to those without Medicare or meeting special criteria), Durable medical equipment and medical supplies, Advanced Registered Nurse First Practitioner, Registered Nurse First Assistants, Chiropractic services, Augmentative and communication systems, Assistive Care Services for special living situations, Medicare premiums; deductibles.
To receive more information please call us at our offices on 727-443-2708 or completely fill out the form here and one of our representatives will get back to you soon!