Michigan Elder Law & Medicaid Planning Attorneys
Americans are getting older, and the cost of care is at a record high. We help people get the benefits they deserve before they go broke.
How will you pay for long-term care without losing everything?
If you’re asking yourself this question right now, please know we understand how stressful this situation is for you and your family.
The cost of long-term care will be the biggest threat to your home and hard-earned savings.
In Mid-Michigan, a nursing home private room averages $9,681 per month (source). That’s $116,172 per year!
Most families can’t afford that without losing their entire nest egg. Can you?
If this sounds like you, we are here to help you get the care you deserve without spending everything you have.
Medicaid is the main source of help people use to afford long-term care.
Qualifying for Medicaid is difficult and time-consuming. Most applicants get denied the first (or even the second and third) time around — and time is of the essence when you need nursing home care.
Why is it so hard to get approved for Medicaid benefits? Medicaid typically says “no” for these two reasons:
- You have too much money.
- You’ve given too much away in the last five years.
As experienced Medicaid planners, we help people get approved the first time around by looking over these factors of eligibility:
- Asset limit (depending on marital status)
- Income limit
- Which resources are exempt (non-countable)
- How to protect retirement type of assets
- The effect that gifting of assets has on when you will qualify for Medicaid assistance
- Legal planning options to maximize exempt resources
There is no time to waste. The sooner we can get started for you, the faster you’ll be eligible and saving thousands of your own dollars.
Contact us at (989) 567-2100 or click here to get started today.
What would you do if this happened to you?
Imagine this…
Your husband or wife has been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. They can no longer live at home.
Along with the devastating news, the neurologist recommends that your spouse be placed in a nursing home today. You have no idea what this will cost or how you will pay for it.
You learn that Medicare will not pay, especially for the long term. You know Medicaid exists but have no idea whether your spouse qualifies or even how to apply. To make matters worse, everyone you talk to gives you a different answer.
This is what we call Medicaid Crisis Planning.
Before facing a situation like this, you need to discuss the Medicaid planning and application process with an experienced elder law attorney, like the team at Sarah’s Law Firm.
We have the necessary skills and contacts to help you address the critical issues. We create a strategy, engage and direct the healthcare staff, and work with you to get the Medicaid application approved by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Let us help you afford the quality care your loved one deserves. We can help no matter what stage of the process you are in.
Contact us at (989) 567-2100 to get started today.
Medicaid Crisis Planning
Qualifying for Medicaid is difficult.
There is no instruction book and the rules are complicated, making it almost impossible to get approved the first time around.
It’s kind of like trying to fix the engine on your car.
Like most DIY projects, people spend more money doing it themselves and correcting their mistakes than they would paying for a professional.
One wrong step with your Medicaid application and you’re paying $9,500 – or more – every month in long-term care expenses.
If you or a loved one is already in a nursing home, you can’t waste time trying to figure it out alone. But you already knew that.
With our help, we save you time, stress, and unnecessary money spent. Contact us to get started today.
Medicaid Myths
There are a lot of rumors floating around Medicaid, and most of them aren’t true.
Here are a few common ones we see:
I have to go broke to qualify for Medicaid.
False! Please don’t make this huge mistake, because it’s not necessary. There are ways to keep what you own and afford the care you deserve.
Many clients of ours are middle or upper-class and need Medicaid to protect their nest egg. We can help them achieve both goals, and we can help you too.
I'll give all my assets to my kids to qualify for Medicaid.
False! Medicaid has a "five year lookback" period, where they’ll investigate every transfer you’ve made the past five years.
If you’ve made big transfers (like a house), you’ll be penalized and denied benefits for a period of time. With our help we can avoid this issue and get you approved.
I can’t get Medicaid because I own my house.
False! In most states, your primary house doesn’t count against you if someone still lives in it.
However, there is a Medicaid Estate Recovery Program, which will try to liquidate your home to recover the Medicaid expenses. With careful planning, this can be prevented.
I have Medicare, so I don’t need Medicaid.
False! These two get mixed up a lot. Medicare is only for folks 65 and up and for a short-term period. It doesn’t cover skilled nursing costs, either.
Medicaid is available to everyone (based on certain asset and income limits) and covers long-term care.
Are you or a loved one faced with looming long-term care expenses?
Your Estate Plan should consider the fact that you may need long-term care in the future. There are also things you can do now that can help protect assets in the near future.
Already have a loved one in the nursing home and need help right NOW? It’s not too late, we can still help you.
Contact our experienced Medicaid planning team at (989) 567-2100 to find out if we can help you and your loved one.
