[retiredguy123]

If you really need the services of a fulltime time nursing facility, substituting in-home care will usually cost more money. That is because you need to pay for fulltime staff, and still maintain your house. The house requires taxes, utilities, insurance, maintenance, transportation to medical appointments, etc. If you can sell the house and move into a nursing facility, you will usually save money. Of course, If you have a spouse who still lives in the house, it can make a difference.

[GoldenBoy]

Stop reading this drivel. Find an elder care attorney and make a plan. No one on this site is qualified to give any useful information.Find an ElderCare Attorney and make a plan.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Aces4

What a joke, dump your money on your heirs so they can live the good life while the rest of the population pays for your fanny. I think to stop this practice, which has been going on for a long time, long term care should be beds in wards, shared public bathrooms and very, very basic care including the food. How about your kids take you in, provide the care and you pay them? That would be far more equitable for the American people.

I have watched so many couples dump their money to the kids to live off the public coffers. Talk about a travesty...

I agree in principle. Also, ALL the rules for medicaid could change in the next year.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Aces4

What a joke, dump your money on your heirs so they can live the good life while the rest of the population pays for your fanny. I think to stop this practice, which has been going on for a long time, long term care should be beds in wards, shared public bathrooms and very, very basic care including the food. How about your kids take you in, provide the care and you pay them? That would be far more equitable for the American people.

I have watched so many couples dump their money to the kids to live off the public coffers. Talk about a travesty...

Some people say that the quality of a society or country can be determined by how well they take care of their aging population. I wonder where the US ranks compared with Canada and Switzerland?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Not sure I understand your post. I have spent time in nursing homes, but not as an employee. They had the required number of employees, but they were not first class. In one that I remember, the call bell rang 24/7 because there were not enough staff to respond, but apparently, the Government required the bell. I think nursing homes are very profitable for the owners. But my point is that I don't blame people who want to keep some of their money.

I had that same experience with the bell ringing constantly at a V.A. Hospital after midnight.

[Arlington2]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Some people say that the quality of a society or country can be determined by how well they take care of their aging population. I wonder where the US ranks compared with Canada and Switzerland?

Canada appears to be developing a scary approach. "Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is an end-of-life option for Canadians accounting for 2% of all deaths in Canada in 2019. Adults over 80 years old represent a significant proportion of these deaths..."
Characteristics of Older Adults Accessing Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): a Descriptive Study - PMC

And there is discovery of further abuse as reported in a Oct 2024 article. "Assisted dying is being abused in Canada with doctors coercing patients into ending their lives, members of the group who helped to legalise it have admitted."
Access Denied

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by jimhoward

If we could somehow get rid of Medicaid entirely, then the calculus would change. That has its own moral problems, but I think it would be better.

Medicaid and Medicare programs are SOCIAL programs designed to give the US a better, more stable SOCIETY. If there were no Medicaid then MANY older retired people would be FORCED to turn to a life of CRIME in order to eat and have a roof over their heads. If this many people turned to crime, it would cost SOCIETY MORE than the costs of Medicare and Medicaid are today.
.......Social programs give a country stability. To be a 1st world country you need stability and the rule of law.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Yes. One thing that the Affordable Care Act did was to greatly expand the Medicaid health care eligibility. I think the income eligibility expanded to 4 times the poverty level, so some people making more than $40K per year became eligible for Medicaid.

Not in Florida. That expansion was a state-specific thing. Obama wanted it to be nationwide, but Capitol Hill didn't like that so much and gutted a lot of the Act, replacing it with bits and pieces that wouldn't be efficient (which is why it's such a mess now).

There's a LOT of misinformation on this thread. No, you don't have to sell your grandmother's jewelry to qualify for Medicaid. In fact, if you're an adult and not disabled, don't have children, and are under 65 years old, you can't get Medicaid at all in Florida.

If Medicaid expansion was implemented in Florida, over 3/4 of a million Floridians would qualify, who currently have no insurance at all.

If your home is valued at under $600,000 (and change, I forget the exact amount), and your spouse is still living in it, then no - you don't have to sell it. It's a non-countable asset.

You CAN have an income - up to $2,829/month (which usually gets ported right over to the nursing home). You can't have assets over $2000 - and that doesn't include personal belongings (like that gold ring), household furnishings, your primary vehicle or your primary home. In Florida, IRAs in payout status are also exempt from asset limits - which means your minimum distribution is being withdrawn.

You can find the details and more information here:
Florida Medicaid Eligibility: 2024 Income & Assets Limits

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Not in Florida. That expansion was a state-specific thing. Obama wanted it to be nationwide, but Capitol Hill didn't like that so much and gutted a lot of the Act, replacing it with bits and pieces that wouldn't be efficient (which is why it's such a mess now).

There's a LOT of misinformation on this thread. No, you don't have to sell your grandmother's jewelry to qualify for Medicaid. In fact, if you're an adult and not disabled, don't have children, and are under 65 years old, you can't get Medicaid at all in Florida.

If Medicaid expansion was implemented in Florida, over 3/4 of a million Floridians would qualify, who currently have no insurance at all.

If your home is valued at under $600,000 (and change, I forget the exact amount), and your spouse is still living in it, then no - you don't have to sell it. It's a non-countable asset.

You CAN have an income - up to $2,829/month (which usually gets ported right over to the nursing home). You can't have assets over $2000 - and that doesn't include personal belongings (like that gold ring), household furnishings, your primary vehicle or your primary home. In Florida, IRAs in payout status are also exempt from asset limits - which means your minimum distribution is being withdrawn.

You can find the details and more information here:
Florida Medicaid Eligibility: 2024 Income & Assets Limits

The post about Medicaid expansion was NOT misinformation. Yes, it was state specific, but 40 states opted in to the expansion. It greatly expanded and increased the cost of the Medicaid program. A lot of people, who were happy with their private health insurance, lost that coverage and were forced to sign up for Medicaid instead. The ACA was an attempt to move closer to a national health care system.

[Grinchie]

Originally Posted by Cliff Fr

Medicaid was setup for people who are very poor or destitute. By hiding or giving away money or assets you are ripping off the government and the taxpayers.

I agree. This is not ‘using our tax money’, it’s cheating the system & morally wrong. This system of spend down to qualify & hide assets was a product of attorneys, not the Department of Health & HS/gov.
The violations in N homes are often understated & are difficult for the public to find online (do check for prior violations before placing someone in a nursing home).

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Grinchie

I agree. This is not ‘using our tax money’, it’s cheating the system & morally wrong. This system of spend down to qualify & hide assets was a product of attorneys, not the Department of Health & HS/gov.
The violations in N homes are often understated & are difficult for the public to find online (do check for prior violations before placing someone in a nursing home).

If Medicaid is designed for the very poor and destitute, why are there 91 million people enrolled in it. And, why was the ACA designed for people making $40K to $50K and higher to use Medicaid for their primary health insurance?

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

I am looking towards another option . I’m most likely going to end up in a place in Thailand ,called Care Resort Chiang Mai . I can afford a nice place here ,but nothing like the place in Thailand . you have your own villa ,many sizes to choose from on beautiful grounds , and can transition from independent to assisted living to memory care ,always being treated with individual care takers , most of the people living at the resort are westerners everything about this place and others around the world are first class , I’m in my mid 80’s and much of my early years were spent in Asia , so ending it there would mean a full circle of my life is complete I’ve researched very nice places here and Boston and you still end up with a parking lot view , that’s not for me

[opinionist]

When I was young, a relative suggested long-term care insurance. I could afford it then and have continued to pay into the plan. I am 70 now and have found that the best insurance for long-term care is to stay healthy. I am not talking about regular visits to an insurance doctor. They only seem to treat symptoms with pharmaceuticals. I am talking about visits to a holistic care doctor focused on the root cause of problems and a cure for what issues you may have. It costs money because insurance will not cover much of what they do. Knowing you are in the best health possible is a wonderful place to be.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by SoCalGal

Hopefully, DOGE is on the way.

I have read that the DOGE plan is going to eliminate 2 categories of VA health benefits.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Barkriver

The travesty is the cost and quality of long term care, and this country's entire medical system.

That sounds like what I think. Most of the world's top countries have National Health Care which costs the taxpayer less money than the US mess of different insurers with different rules - less cost and better results. With less costs for general medical services and medicine, that leaves MORE money for the elderly in nursing homes. Good care from cradle to the grave, that is the promise in counties OTHER THAN the US of A !!!!!!