Don’t Make These Medi-Cal Mistakes

A good Medi-Cal Long Term Care plan is one that can allow you or your spouse to use Medi-Cal to pay for the costs associated with nursing home care. While an experienced and qualified elder law attorney will be able to tell you what you need to do to create an effective plan, here are some common misconceptions about Medicaid that you shouldn’t buy into.

I can’t use Medicaid because I’ve already begun paying privately.

Even if you weren’t able to qualify for Medi-Cal when you first applied, just because you are now on a private pay plan doesn’t mean you can’t develop an effective Medi-Cal plan. Some Medi-Cal application requirements are best approached when you have enough time to develop a plan before you actually need to enter a nursing home, but you can still take advantage of some significant asset protection strategies if you or your spouse has already been admitted to a nursing home facility.

I don’t need Medicaid because I can use Medicare.

While there are some situations where you can use Medicare to pay for brief stays in a nursing home, long-term custodial care is not covered under the program. Medi-Cal is the only widely available government program you can use to pay for these costs, but only if you qualify.  Certain veterans and surviving spouses of veterans may also qualify for benefits available from the VA.

If I need to go to a nursing home I can give away all my property and still qualify for Medicaid.

This is one of the more harmful myths about Medi-Cal Long Term Care. You can’t simply transfer all your assets to qualify because Medii-Cal imposes a “look back” period. If you want to use Medi-Cal, you need to begin planning as soon as possible. An experienced and qualified elder law attorney can assist with planning strategies that my avoid the look back period.

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Timothy P. Murphy

Timothy P. Murphy is an estate planning and elder law attorney whose practice emphasizes helping people to build, preserve and pass on their wealth. He works with his clients to accomplish their goals while avoiding unnecessary court proceedings and minimizing or eliminating exposure to death taxes.

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