‘You work until you die:’ Inside America’s fragmented safety net for the disabled
 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...-the-disabled/

Well, this was educational and frightening. I had no idea that states have a MEDICAL ASSISTANCE ESTATE RECOVERY PROGRAM... omg! :eek: Really?!

" The honest reality is that Medicaid isn’t just health insurance. For many folks, it’s really a health-care loan. In many states, there is estate recovery that comes attached to Medicaid, particularly in long-term care services. It’s a piece that’s being whittled down regarding health-care reform, but it’s there."

Much more in this article that I found interesting and thought perhaps you all would too. We've really got to do something about this mess we call healthcare.

Thanks for this Vrae. I'm going to have to read it a couple more times.

Just finished reading the whole thing through....I had absolutely no idea how complicated your health system is. The estate claim thing is a bit scary - if the state Medicaid has a claim on your estate, they should be upfront about that from the word go. Scary when you think how many families must be losing a loved one and then realising there's nothing left to inherit because Medicaid came along and nabbed the lot. Yikes.

I definitely like the emphasis being on employment for the disabled, but of course it always depends which type of disabled you are. Of you're in a wheelchair, that's one set of challenges, but something a lot of people are familiar with and wouldn't be too surprised about. Now let's all think about employment for someone with serious CRPS. Now there aren't just the physical mobility issues, but the need for flexibility with attendance and hours, and what if you have a bad flare and can't go in? What if your foot just balloons up suddenly and you have to elevate it and burst into tears from the intense pain? Your coworkers who are happy to have a wider aisle in the office, or a lift installed, are suddenly unhappy because you've had to have three days off this week, and now you're in you are struggling to concentrate today and have to leave early. How many employers would deal with that for an extended period of time? One good week where you're in every day and then a bad one where you attend maybe 25% of your normal hours is not an employee a lot of firms could support long term.

It's a very difficult subject all round. It's not easy here in the UK, but I definitely think you guys in the US have a more complicated and cost-based system...

Bram.

I am wondering what will happen with my uncles place..Which was my grandmothers..Which is left to me...Ha Ha I really wonder since he has been disabled for years..now it sounds like they get it?????????

Whose name is the house in ? If your grandmother left it to you and you just let him live there, it's your's. If your uncle inherited it from his mother and he left it to you then you need to check if their is a Medicaid lien against it IF he was on Medicaid. Many people are disabled and not on Medicaid.

If Medicaid has a claim on the estate, the person who used Medicaid services and their spouse has been made aware of that. In some families they might choose not to share that info with the rest of the family.

Medicaid benefits were designed for the very needy. If the patient has significant assets, like a home, Medicaid allows them to get the needed care without having to sell their home to pay for care while they are still living in the home.

There are some protections in place to protect some assets for the spouse of the patient. My mom will probably need to go to a nursing home soon. That care averages $100,000 a year. My parents can pay for that for a short time, but certainly not for 20 years. When her free cash runs out, she will transfer to Medicaid to pay for the nursing home. Medicaid will not place a lien on the house, forcing my dad out, because the total value of the house is less than $800,000. That amount buys a pretty nice house around here. He has a friend from his caregivers support group who is dealing with a Medicaid lien on his house for his deceased wife's nursing home care because their house is worth $1.5 million. A spouse is also allowed to keep (in my state) $114,000 in cash of the shared assets.