Can we talk Medicare and nursing homes?

[jwirr]

42. Okay, first we need to get the terms correct. Medicare pays something like 160 days in the nursing

home and no more. Medicaid is the program that has the regulations you are talking about. It picks up after the 160 days if you are poor enough. That is where the spenddown comes in. If you spouse or your disabled child is living in the home they can stay in the home. Children living outside the home are often allowed to buy the home at market value so you can pay your nursing home costs. As to giving your assets to your children - here in our state it has to be 5 years before you go into the nursing home. You can also have a burial fund set aside.

This last was done because many wealthy parents were handing over everything and then living on Medicaid while complaining about the poor.

These rules may not be totally correct anymore. But I am sure that they have only gotten stricter if they are different.