Nursing home effect on healthy spouse

[Lykele]

What is the name of your state? New York

If one spouse has to go into a nursing home do all the assets of this couple have to be depleted before medicare would pick up the payments? Or is there any provision for the healthy spouse to protect a small percentage so they can continue to pay bills and live a normal life while medicare starts paying the nursing home bills?

Thank you

JimWhat is the name of your state?

 

[ellencee]

What is the name of your state? New York

If one spouse has to go into a nursing home do all the assets of this couple have to be depleted before medicare would pick up the payments? Or is there any provision for the healthy spouse to protect a small percentage so they can continue to pay bills and live a normal life while medicare starts paying the nursing home bills?

Thank you
Jim
What is the name of your state?

There are provisions that allow for protection of some assets. Your local department of family and children services can provide you with information. A note of caution: laws are changing. Georgia, for instance, is retroactively (for 10 years) billing/suing surviving spouses and children for Medicaid payments to nursing homes. You never know what the future may do to the assets that you are currently allowed to keep.

EC