Troy Elder Law and Medicaid Planning Services

Helping Michigan Residents Access Essential Medicaid Benefits

Though Medicaid is a program designed to make healthcare more accessible to families who would not be able to afford it otherwise, applying for the program can be complex. The application involves a lot of work and the review process can take a long time— time that many people cannot afford. Barron, Rosenberg, Mayoras & Mayoras’s estate planning and elder law attorneys serving in Troy, Oakland County, and surrounding areas offer Medicaid planning services that are focused on making sure you or your loved one can be properly cared for.

Understanding Medicaid: What You Need to Know

Medicaid is a federal and state program designed to provide healthcare coverage to individuals and families with low income and limited resources. This essential program offers a wide range of medical services, including hospital stays, doctor visits, long-term care, and home health care. Medicaid is particularly crucial for seniors and individuals with disabilities who may require long-term care services that can be prohibitively expensive without assistance.

Medicaid eligibility is determined by income and asset limits, which differ by state. In Michigan, where our law firm is located, the Medicaid program is administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Qualifying for Medicaid can be a very complex process involving detailed documentation of your financial situation and a thorough understanding of the specific rules and regulations.

Steps to Confirm Your Medicaid Eligibility

Medicaid was created for low-income families. While the program is meant to help people, the government’s fear of fraud has resulted in an outrageous qualifications process that requires applicants to go through a lot of work to prove they are an eligible candidate. If your total assets are estimated over $12,500 or, if married, $25,000 then the application process is going to be more complex. If your income is over the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, there are several legal strategies you can use to receive the benefits anyway.

Some strategies for qualifying for Medicaid include:

• Setting up an irrevocable trust that will reduce the applicant’s countable assets and protect them for future use.
• Transferring money to a spouse when the applying spouse needs to move into a nursing home.
• Setting up a Qualified Income Trust that can be used to pay medical bills and will be forfeited to the government after the applicant’s passing.
• Establishing an annuity that will provide a healthy spouse receives monthly payments from an insurance company while the applicant's spouse receives nursing home care under Medicaid.
• Spending excess assets by paying off debts, making home renovations, and other large spending investments that can be passed on to beneficiaries in a will or trust.