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What happens when a person who is worried about how to pay for long term care - Portland, Oregon.

May 21, 2010

When a person walks in the door here, we talk about whether or not Medicaid is an option and whether it’s an immediate need or an anticipated one.

One of the things that we discuss is the level of impairment.

In order to qualify for Medicaid, a person has to meet both financial and medical eligibility criteria. A person has to have a pretty high level of impairment in order to qualify.

We ask if you are you married or not. Married people have more options. This doesn’t mean that the unmarried are out in the cold, but there is a lot that a lawyer can do with respect to planning for married couples. Number one—once we have figured out how the Medicaid formula applies, we see if there is any way to improve on that. Is there any way to increase the resources or income you are allowed to have. If we are not able to suggest a way to increase the amount you are allowed to have, what are the alternatives? What options do you have for complying with a spend-down of resources. Certainly one option is to spend down your assets by paying for an impaired spouse’s care costs. But that’s not the only option. Another issue we look at is “estate recovery.” If you get Medicaid benefits, the state will keep track of how much it spends on your care and when you die the state will look to remaining assets to pay it back. Are there any options for preserving some assets for your heirs?

We also talk about planning for contingencies. For example, what if the care-providing spouse dies first? What can we put in place to deal with that contingency?  

Paying for Long Term Care can be expensive. An attorney can help you determine your options - Contact the Elder Law attorneys at the Law Offices of Nay & Friedenberg in Portland, Oregon at (503) 245-0894 to set an appointment.