Jankower.com - Medicaid Planning

A death in the family or receipt of a personal injury settlement can suddenly render

your elderly or disabled loved one ineligible for public programs.

Medicaid Planning is critically important.

Families with special needs members face many unique problems in providing for their disabled loved ones. Among the most difficult of these problems involves finding affordable health coverage.

Health insurance for persons with special needs, where available to them at all, can be extremely costly. Many disabled persons have no health coverage and are otherwise uninsurable. Furthermore, disabled individuals face a much greater prospect of needing long-term care than do most other citizens.

Unfortunately, families with disabled members face many expenses that may not be covered by governmental programs. Medicare, for example, does not provide coverage for long-term health care, nor is there any reasonable likelihood that it will provide such coverage in the future. Whether Medicare will provide sufficient coverage for prescription drugs in light of the recent legislation adopted by Congress is a big question at the present time.

As a result, governmental programs such as Medicaid are a lifeline for these individuals and continued eligibility for Medicaid is critical.

Finding a reasonable way to become eligible for Medicaid is another question. Medicaid rules and guidelines place strict income and asset limitations on eligibility. These rules can cause individuals to suddenly become ineligible if proper steps are not taken to plan for unexpected contingencies.

Individuals vulnerable to the possibility of disqualification from public programs include families with disabled children, families with elderly disabled members facing long-term care problems, and victims of personal injury claims. It is extremely important for these individuals that care is taken to properly plan their estates and/or handle personal injury settlements.