Families Will Face Financial Armageddon If Federal Mandates On Medicaid Are Abolished

[TheMastersNemesis]

Most posters on this site and most Americans are too young to remember what it was like for long term elder care before Medicaid was established. I saw my mother's siblings go through the financial problems caused by the lack of Medicaid when my grandmother went into a nursing home. Everyone should know about and understand what I am about to tell you because if the GOP gets its way you will be in for the shock of your life.

Prior to Medicaid individual states could assess the relatives of the family for the cost of long term care of parents. My grandmother had to go into a nursing home around 1966. She had only her house but few other assets. She did not have a retirment perhaps a little Social Security to pay for her care. The state of Illinois welfare office called my mothers siblings in (my mom was out of state and exempt) and forced them to turn over their financial data. EAch of them had to pay the state of Illinois so much money to pay for her nursing home each month. It was a debt that was collectable and had the same requirements as any other debt. That state could sieze the offsprings property if they could not or did not pay. They could foreclose on the houses of the sons and daughters of the person who was in the nursing home.

REMOVING THE FEDERAL MANDATE will allow each state to charge the family for long term expenses. The Medicaid federal mandate does NOT allow that. That is why the GOP wants to remand Medicaide back to the states. They would most likely end all Medicaid funding if they get power.

What I am telling you is something the GOP has hidden. In 1995 Newt almost got that job done except Clinton vetoed the budget and the abolishment of that federal mandate was removed.

I am telling you these sneaky bastards are up to much more than we know. And the Ryan Budget is just a preliminary outline. It is only a part of what he wants to do.

[virgogal]

1. Medicaid was founded in 1965. Why wasn't she eligible?

[TheMastersNemesis]

4. It Has Been A Long Time

Actually I might have been mistaken. I am not sure when she went in. Now that I think back she went in before that because she lived with us for a short time when I was in high school. That would have been 1961. She passed in 69. The point is that the GOP supports letting the state handle and pay for people who are on Medicaid now.

[virgogal]

5. Thanks. I wasn't being nit-picky,I was just curious. Medicaid took care of

my own mother for 9 years,so you can guess how I feel about it.

[annabanana]

2. Kicking for History lessons!. . .n/t

[freshwest]

3. They want to cause chaos and death, is all I think. I am familiiar this and that will happen.

Very dangerous time for us if they get their way.

[meow2u3]

6. It all boils down to this

REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO KILL US!

[MsPithy]

7. That is not exactly true. If they kill us, our kids will inherit whatever we have.

I think they want to suck us dry. Then they don't care if we die or not, they will have every penny we worked a lifetime to earn.

[glinda]

9. They already are sucking us dry. My parents are both sick or dying and they are taking every penny

as well as their home. Worked their whole lives. Never asked for help. Never caused trouble. But will soon be broke.Took them 80 some years to build it and takes six months to take it all.

[Honeycombe8]

8. They just don't want to pay for "deadbeats," in their view of things.

If you didn't work hard enough and have nothing or no one to pay for your nursing home, that's your problem, not theirs. That's their view. We all remember the audience applause when Ron Paul responded at one of the debates that yes, if a person didn't have ins. he paid for, he should be allowed to die.

We must not let that party get in control this year. It will devastate millions of poor and lower middle class (not to mention those of us in the largest group, the middle class).

[undergroundpanther]

16. the repugs are sociopaths

And yes they want to kill us,and if we don't die fast enough they want to abuse us,harass us,demanding more and more blood from stones,until stress kills us or we kill ourselves

[Doremus]

10. Nursing home industry skimping on lobbyists?

I question the legality of offspring and other family members being responsible for anyone's debts other than their legal spouse, unless they've previously entered into a binding contract to do just that.

Any citations to confirm? Just curious how this could might have come to pass.

[pnwmom]

11. There are 30 states with laws that make adult children financially responsible.

The reason they're not enforced any longer is that the Federal Medicaid law supersedes them.

http://www.paelderlaw.com/budd.html

Can children be held financially responsible for the cost of their parents' nursing home care? You might be surprised to learn that, in Pennsylvania, the answer is yes.
Pennsylvania law has long provided that the husband, wife, child, father and mother shall, if of sufficient financial ability, care for and maintain, or financially assist an indigent relative. The statutory citation is 62 P.S. §1973.

http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=5181&section=4

In states that have so-called "filial responsibility laws," the nursing homes may seek reimbursement from the residents' children. These rarely-enforced laws, which are on the books in 30 states, hold adult children responsible for financial support of indigent parents and, in some cases, medical and nursing home costs.

[Doremus]

13. Aw shit. Next they're going to bring back debtor prisons.

Please don't tell me they already have...

[pnwmom]

15. Sorry, but we have a modern version of debtor's prison, too.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704396504576204553811636610.html

Some lawmakers, judges and regulators are trying to rein in the U.S. debt-collection industry's use of arrest warrants to recoup money owed by borrowers who are behind on credit-card payments, auto loans and other bills.

More than a third of all U.S. states allow borrowers who can't or won't pay to be jailed. Judges have signed off on more than 5,000 such warrants since the start of 2010 in nine counties with a total population of 13.6 million people, according to a tally by The Wall Street Journal of filings in those counties. Nationwide figures aren't known because many courts don't keep track of warrants by alleged offense. In interviews, 20 judges across the nation said the number of borrowers threatened with arrest in their courtrooms has surged since the financial crisis began.

The backlash is a reaction to sloppy, incomplete or even false documentation that can result in borrowers having no idea before being locked up that they were sued to collect an outstanding debt. The debt-collection industry says such errors are extremely rare, adding that warrants usually are sought only after all other efforts to persuade borrowers to pay have failed.


Earlier this month, Washington state's House of Representatives passed by a 98-0 vote a bill that would require companies to provide proof a borrower has been notified about lawsuits against them before a judge could issue an arrest warrant.. . .

[pnwmom]

12. This is an excellent question. Thirty states already have laws on the books making adult children

responsible for the care of their parents.


http://www.paelderlaw.com/budd.html

Can children be held financially responsible for the cost of their parents' nursing home care? You might be surprised to learn that, in Pennsylvania, the answer is yes.
Pennsylvania law has long provided that the husband, wife, child, father and mother shall, if of sufficient financial ability, care for and maintain, or financially assist an indigent relative. The statutory citation is 62 P.S. §1973.

http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=5181&section=4

In states that have so-called "filial responsibility laws," the nursing homes may seek reimbursement from the residents' children. These rarely-enforced laws, which are on the books in 30 states, hold adult children responsible for financial support of indigent parents and, in some cases, medical and nursing home costs.

[happyslug]

14. Pennsylvania only abolished Welfare liens about 15 years ago

A "Welfare Line" was a Judgement entered against someone who had received Welfare. The Welfare recipient had to agree to permit the entrance of such judgment, or no welfare. Technically this only against people who owned the home they were living in and could NOT borrow money on it, but it was also used against other property of the Welfare recipient.

There are some nasty rules in regards to who can get welfare. Right now, in most states, unless there is a child in your home below the age of 18, forget about getting any welfare (Families with children under 18 are eligible for "Transitional Aide for Needy Families" TANF, which in the mid 1990s replaced the earlier AFDC, Aid For Dependent Children, as part of "Welfare Reform&quot . In Pennsylvania such Non-TANF Welfare recipients can get Two months welfare in a two year period. There are some exceptions to this rule, the biggest one is someone who is applying for Social Security Disability or Supplement Security Income (SSI) AND that person gets a letter from his doctor saying he or she can NOT work, then until Social Security rules on his or her Case he or she can get welfare, but as soon as Social Security rules they are kicked off (Either get on Social Security OR just kicked off of Welfare). If the Welfare recipient does get welfare he or she has to pay back to the state whatever the State paid them in Welfare while they waited for the Social Security Decision.

Now, such non-TANF Welfare recipients can get Food Stamps, for the simple reason the Federal Government pays 100% of the Cost of any Food Stamps issued, Unlike TANF where the Federal Government will pay 50% up to the Standard of Need (Which no state has EVER set their Welfare amounts to). As to non-TANF welfare the Federal Government pays nothing.

Since the 1990s, welfare has been dead except for TANF AND long term medical care. Right now, the main cost of Welfare in ALL STATES is NOT people receiving Welfare BUT long term medical care.

You can NOT get TANF if you have more then $2000 in assets (Which can include a car if the trade in value exceeds $2000). Whole life insurance policies that exceed $2000 is another "Assets" that prevent you from being eligible for Welfare (Even if it is money to pay for your Funnel, on the other hand a NON-REDEEMABLE PRE-PAID Burial Plan does NOT make you illegible for Welfare for it is NON-REDEEMABLE).

Lawyers attend seminars on what they have to do to make sure their client's assets are NOT available for medical care, so the assets goes to their Children NOT the state for their long term medical costs. The reason for this is most people's assets are used up within two years of going into a Nursing home, and then end up on welfare.

I go into all of this for Welfare is expensive, but it is almost all Medical Costs today, with all types of methods adopted to avoid having to pay for long term medical costs. all geared to increase welfare costs, but written by lawyers for high income clients. People who can NOT afford such legal advice, end up owning more then are getting from Social Security and any other income (the good news, such inability to pay the bill is NOT grounds for such people to be kicked out of the Nursing home).

All of this is FEDERALLY MANDATED, INCLUDING THE RIGHT NOT TO BE KICKED OUT OF THE NURSING HOME IF YOU CAN NOT PAY THE BILL. If these the Federal Government "Block Grant" medicare instead of paying as the Federal Government does today, you may see a return to the time where old people were left on the streets to die (Or warehoused till they die, so no one will see them die). The "Block Grant" idea is a potential killer, the "Block Grant" is instead of the Federal Government being so involved in long term medical care, the Federal Government just give each state a set amount of money and leave each state determined hot it is to be spent. Many states will sooner or later see this Block Grant as money they could use elsewhere, by just abolishing paying for any long term medical costs. No State mandated long term care, the State "saves" all of the Block Grant for other purposes. i,e grandma kicked out on the streets to die, so that the State can spend the block grant money on whatever the State Legislature wants to.

"Block Grants" have been used this way to kill various "Great Society" and "New Deal" programs since Nixon's administration. This is just the latest attempt to kill Medicare and Medicaid.

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