What is Medicaid?

Aug 17, 2014

By Rick Law of Law Elder Law in Aurora, IL

Medicare is a health insurance program that is an entitlement – regardless of an individual’s income or assets.

Medicaid is not.

Medicaid is jointly funded and administered by the federal government through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and each state. The responsibility for developing the guidelines for the federal/state cost sharing lies with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This department is also responsible for overall supervision of state and provider participation in Medicaid. Each individual state government has a fairly wide latitude in running their Medicaid

Medicaid is considered to be a means-tested program; this means that participants must meet strict income and asset criteria in order to qualify. It is considered the safety net for the impoverished.

And, in many cases, Medicaid is the “payer of last resort” for skilled nursing facility benefits.

Even though additional benefits may be added by individual states at their own option, all states are required to cover the following long-term care-related services:

• Inpatient hospital services (with the exception of services in institutions for tuberculosis or mental diseases)
• Outpatient hospital services and rural health clinic services, including any ambulatory services that are offered by such clinics and otherwise included in the state’s Medicaid plan
• Other laboratory and X-ray services
• Transportation to medical facilities
• Physicians’ services furnished in the office, the patient’s home, hospital, skilled nursing facility, or elsewhere, or medical and surgical services that are furnished by a dentist where state law permits either doctors or dentists to perform such services
• Skilled nursing facility services, including custodial care, but excluding services in institutions for tuberculosis or mental diseases, for individuals who are 21 years of age or older

Too many families needlessly lose everything they have.  Don’t let that be you.  If you need help paying the overwhelming cost of long term care, give our office a call at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now, because when you’re out of money, you’re out of options!

Sincerely,

Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner

Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.