Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That’s not it all what that poster was saying. The poster was saying that if a parent is going to a nursing facility, they should be using their assets to pay for it before they use taxpayers money. All nursing homes take Medicaid patients. There are not separate nursing homes for Medicaid.
Many of the nursing homes I've contacted for my father-in-law indicated they do not accept Medicaid. The language they used was very specific and did not mention anything related to "available Medicaid beds."
Is there a federal mandate I can review to confirm this info and press them further?
Many of the nursing homes I've contacted for my father-in-law indicated they do not accept Medicaid. The language they used was very specific and did not mention anything related to "available Medicaid beds."
Is there a federal mandate I can review to confirm this info and press them further?
There is no requirement that a facility must accept medicaid. Please read more here:
Many of the nursing homes I've contacted for my father-in-law indicated they do not accept Medicaid. The language they used was very specific and did not mention anything related to "available Medicaid beds."
Is there a federal mandate I can review to confirm this info and press them further?
Medicaid is state-specific. NJ has a search engine on the Department of Health website that allows you to search for a LTC facility based on payor source. https://healthapps.state.nj.us/facil...aspx?by=county
So try your state Department of Health or Department of Aging website to see if they have something similar.
We hired a geriatric care manager for my mother though, to find us assisted living facilities that would accept her knowing she would run out of money. It was the best decision we made. She knew all the admissions people (all long term care workers run in the same circles in a geographic area) already and saved me tons of legwork. She gave us a list in the end of about 6-8 places that agreed in advance to accept my mom knowing she'd be on Medicaid eventually (she had a carrot of about $100,000 though that helped, as the place we chose agreed on the condition that she private pay for 18 months before Medicaid (nursing homes don't normally do this). She lived there for 10 years, 7 of it on Medicaid.
Medicaid is state-specific. NJ has a search engine on the Department of Health website that allows you to search for a LTC facility based on payor source. https://healthapps.state.nj.us/facil...aspx?by=county
So try your state Department of Health or Department of Aging website to see if they have something similar.
We hired a geriatric care manager for my mother though, to find us assisted living facilities that would accept her knowing she would run out of money. It was the best decision we made. She knew all the admissions people (all long term care workers run in the same circles in a geographic area) already and saved me tons of legwork. She gave us a list in the end of about 6-8 places that agreed in advance to accept my mom knowing she'd be on Medicaid eventually (she had a carrot of about $100,000 though that helped, as the place we chose agreed on the condition that she private pay for 18 months before Medicaid (nursing homes don't normally do this). She lived there for 10 years, 7 of it on Medicaid.
If Medicaid is state-specific, then why would you say "All nursing homes take Medicaid patients"? Unless I missed something and you were responding to a poster from your own area?
Just got rep'd on a post of mine in this old thread, so I came back to it. Wanted to reply to a couple of things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueJay10
He could've been referring to the Secure act (The first one, the second hasn't went thru yet) it forces those kids who inherit retirement accounts to take the full balance within 10 years. Offhand I don't know what happens when you don't but prior, you had your entire lifetime to empty the balance. As with everything, there may be some exemptions which usually apply to a select few but if you plan ahead, and clearly you have that mindset, it may make a difference.
It was their parents' RETIREMENT ACCOUNT. It got "special" tax treatment (meaning deferred taxes for the parents) because it was to be used for THE PARENTS' RETIREMENT. It was not intended to be a way for them to leave tax-free money to their kids -- again, it was their RETIREMENT ACCOUNT.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueJay10
We aren't wealthy so 10 years is plenty of time for us but for many, I do feel for them. Cost of living here in California is nuts so to be forced to take it in a decade timespan then pay more taxes seems unfair. I mean it is a GIFT for goodness sakes. A gift that taxes were already paid on.
No, TAXES WERE NOT PAID ON IT. That is the whole point of a 401(k) or 403(b) or similar account -- the account holder DEFERS taxes until their retirement, when they (maybe) will be in a lower tax bracket. Again, it was the parents' RETIREMENT ACCOUNT. And yes, I have to keep emphasizing this because some posters keep thinking it was some inheritance account for heirs that should be tax-free because, you know, of course they should inherit lots of money tax-free. BUT IT WASN'T.
(BlueJay10, the way that you worded your post -- oh my gosh, they are FORCED to take (say) a million dollars over 10 years instead of over their lifetime -- they are FORCED to take this FREE MONEY that they did nothing to earn. I can tell you that most working-class people in this country -- who, of course, do not have parents who leave them million-dollar retirement accounts -- would be happy to be FORCED to take tens of thousands of dollars each year in free money ... but I digress. )
Say someone inherits a $1,000,000 401(k) account from their deceased mother. Again, it was her RETIREMENT MONEY, so it got special tax treatment during her lifetime because it was meant to pay for HER RETIREMENT (and she would have had to pay taxes on it when she took withdrawals from it, since she DID NOT have to pay taxes on it when she was building the account up).
Somehow you think it's unfair that a KID of that woman would have to "spend down" the $1,000,000 account over 10 years ... which would give said kid $100,000/year in free money (keeping the numbers simple) THAT SAID KID DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO EARN (except be born). Again, may I emphasize, the kid did nothing for this money. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was for their mother's retirement.
So yes, since the $1,000,000 did NOT have taxes paid on it -- said kid will now have to pay taxes on it. So maybe said kid will be left with, what, instead of $100,000/year in free money, maybe $70,000 in FREE MONEY each year. Yes, totally free money to the kid (who is still complaining about how horribly unfair all this is -- as if it were "fair" that he GOT all that free money in the first place, just from an accident of birth!).
So again: that is somehow unfair? Could you please explain HOW that is unfair, given that the kid STILL ends up with (in my example) $70,000 in TOTALLY FREE MONEY that they did absolutely nothing to actually, you know, EARN themselves? The sense of entitlement is rather breathtaking.
Thanks for all the good info about ramps, stairlifters, etc. for my mom. The problem is I have 13 stairs inside, then outside there is another eight steps of concrete. She already lost her balance on the outside steps in 2019, and head her head on the the concrete sidewalk, she needed stitches and a hospital stay of a few days (she's on blood thinners).
I figured if a deck and ramp worked, it would eliminate the outside steps for her, and she would definitely need assistance wherever she walked, on even ground or inclines. I would have no problem paying for the deck and have her chip in for the ramp, if it's feasible.
I have an elder care attorney, he's on vacation now.
Great info on this thread about Medicare/Medicaid and the like, thanks!
Thanks for all the good info about ramps, stairlifters, etc. for my mom. The problem is I have 13 stairs inside, then outside there is another eight steps of concrete. She already lost her balance on the outside steps in 2019, and head her head on the the concrete sidewalk, she needed stitches and a hospital stay of a few days (she's on blood thinners).
I figured if a deck and ramp worked, it would eliminate the outside steps for her, and she would definitely need assistance wherever she walked, on even ground or inclines. I would have no problem paying for the deck and have her chip in for the ramp, if it's feasible.
I have an elder care attorney, he's on vacation now.
Great info on this thread about Medicare/Medicaid and the like, thanks!
As another poster indicated, building ramps according to your area’s code is quite expensive. Be sure you have a company or builder who knows the rules and builds accordingly. Even the ramp rails need to be a specific height and distance apart.
A company will probably come out and give you an estimate. We had that done for an elderly relative and the cost for a relatively short ramp was $6-7k (just one step down from a porch). Your ramp sounds like it would need to double back on itself to allow for a correct incline.
Hopefully a stair glide would work inside for the 13 steps. Best of luck to you.
As another poster indicated, building ramps according to your area’s code is quite expensive. Be sure you have a company or builder who knows the rules and builds accordingly. Even the ramp rails need to be a specific height and distance apart.
A company will probably come out and give you an estimate. We had that done for an elderly relative and the cost for a relatively short ramp was $6-7k (just one step down from a porch). Your ramp sounds like it would need to double back on itself to allow for a correct incline.
Hopefully a stair glide would work inside for the 13 steps. Best of luck to you.
If you have steps both inside and outside you probably want to look at a stair lift for inside and an outdoor lift to bypass the front concrete steps.
This is something like I am suggesting. Google outdoor wheelchair lifts. If something like this will work at your house depends on if you have a porch or landing or flat area for the walker or wheelchair to transfer to before going inside the house. If it doesn't work out for the front door perhaps a side door or back door may be better for a wheelchair lift. If none of your entrances are suitable, it may even possible to replace the steps (on a little used outside door) with a wheelchair lift.
Many of the nursing homes I've contacted for my father-in-law indicated they do not accept Medicaid. The language they used was very specific and did not mention anything related to "available Medicaid beds."
Is there a federal mandate I can review to confirm this info and press them further?
I'll give you a concrete example (ymmv). In 2017, when my son and I suddenly needed to find a facility for my husband (because I was his full time care giver and I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer) we called 60 (yes, 60 facilities) and only one had a vacancy AND accepted Medicaid. There were two other places that had vacancies AND accepted Medicaid after private paying for only 12 to 18 months (rather than the standard 24 to 36 months.
Hmm, think about that out of 60 facilities, in my geographic area, only one was accepting Medicaid and had a Medicaid bed available. And, that was in a different county that where I/we lived at that time. Again, Medicaid is state specific so it may be different in your state.
Yes, many/most facilities do accept Medicaid but, at least in my area, it isn't unusual for a 100 bed facility to allocate three or four beds as "Medicaid beds" but reserved them for long term residents who have private paid for several years.
My state also changed the law, a few years ago, to make it much, much easier for facilities to kick out residents, even if they had self paid for two or three years. They can do this if all the Medicaid beds are currently in use when your/your loved one runs out of money.
Again, This was my experience. You experience may be very different.
Last edited by germaine2626; 07-28-2021 at 12:34 PM..
If Medicaid is state-specific, then why would you say "All nursing homes take Medicaid patients"? Unless I missed something and you were responding to a poster from your own area?
Apparently I misspoke.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
BUT IT WASN'T.
