Am I eligible for Medicaid? This is a question which many people ask because they are in need of nursing home care or Medicaid services. The answer is going to vary depending upon many factors, including your age and income level. 
Determining if you are eligible for Medicaid coverage or not is of vital importance because Medicaid covers many things which other insurance does not provide payment for. Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates can help you to determine if you are eligible for Medicaid and can assist you in the application process.
Our legal team can also help you to make sure that the answer is yes to the question of am I eligible for Medicaid, because we can assist you in creating a comprehensive Medicaid plan. To find out more, give us a call today.
Am I Eligible for Medicaid?
Medicaid is means-tested and there are resource limits. As a result, to make sure you are eligible for Medicaid, you need to understand the rules for qualifying for coverage. Medicaid is administered by a federal/state partnership, which means that individual states can essentially set their own rules for determining whether or not someone is going to be covered by Medicaid benefits.
The Connecticut government has different Medicaid programs for different segments of the population. Medicaid is called Husky Care, and options for coverage include Husky A, Husky B, Husky C, and Husky D.
Husky A and B are for children, parents, relative caregivers, and pregnant women. Husky D is for people aged 19 to 65 who don’t have dependent kids, who aren’t pregnant, and who don’t qualify for Medicare. Finally, Husky C is for Connecticut residents over the age of 65, or between the ages of 18 and 65 who have a disability.
Husky C is the type of Medicaid coverage which pays for nursing home care. Medicaid is virtually the only insurance that pays for custodial care in a nursing home. Medicare and private insurers pay for skilled medical services only, and only for limited duration. For the majority of nursing home residents, no skilled medical care is needed so no coverage exists except Medicaid. This is why qualifying for Medicaid is so vitally important and why you need to be able to answer yes to the question of am I eligible for Medicaid.
You can qualify for Medicaid depending upon both income and resource levels. According to CT.gov, residents of Southwestern Connecticut can have monthly income of a maximum of $633.49 per month as a single person or $805.09 if you are married. If your income is above this, you may be disqualified from Medicaid. If you live in Northern, Eastern, or Western, CT then you are allowed to have income of $523.38 as a single person or $696.41 if you are a married couple trying to qualify for Husky Care.
There are also asset limits as well. If you are single and have assets above $1,600, then you may be barred from coverage through Medicaid. If you are married, you can have assets up to $2,400. If you have more money and property than is allowed, you may not qualify for Medicaid until you have spent down assets.
How to Make Sure You Are Eligible for Medicaid
There are ways to structure asset ownership so the property and wealth you have acquired won’t count as disqualifying resources for Medicaid. You should talk with a Medicaid planning lawyer about how you can make a plan to become eligible for Medicaid when you need it. Legal tools like trusts are one popular option for getting Medicaid coverage, but your attorney can discuss with you all of the different approaches you can take for asset protection.
You need to act long before you want Medicaid to start paying for nursing home care if you want to protect the maximum value of assets. Call an experienced attorney as soon as possible for help.
Getting Help from A Connecticut Medicaid Planning Lawyer
When you make a Medicaid plan, never again will you have to ask am I eligible for Medicaid. You will understand how the Medicaid eligibility process works and will be able to protect your assets while you make certain that you can get the benefits you deserve.
To find out more about the Medicaid planning process and about the components of a Medicaid plan, download our free estate planning worksheet. You can also give us a call at 860-548-1000 or contact us online to find out more about the ways in which an experienced Medicaid planning lawyer can assist you in making plans to get covered.
Mr. Nirenstein is licensed to practice before the courts of the State of Connecticut and the United States District Court. He is a member of the Connecticut and Hartford County Bar Associations, and the Estate and Probate, Elder Law, Business Law and Real Estate Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association.
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