Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
J
johnboy Asked October 2015

I have Medicare plus Cal-per health insurance, what do I have to do for my wife to qualify for medical coverage insurance?

I do not own and homes or stocks have no saving accounts . My poor wife has been with dementia for 7 years but now she is refusing to take her pills or diabetic insulin,Is been very combated lately. sometimes its hard to understand her, please help me get some help thank you John

ruthieruth Oct 2015
Annother thought....ask your doctor about palliative care in the meantime. Its not only for end of life situations and there may be someone who can help get you both linked to some practical support with meds etc.

ruthieruth Oct 2015
Also, there are forms online to create a trust and then free legal services can review the documents before they become official...since you have no real property, (we didnt either,) it's pretty straightforward.

ADVERTISEMENT


ruthieruth Oct 2015
Hi there my partner and I have this insurance situation exactly. First thing is that if you are both on Cal PERS, which should be the case anyway cause of how the benefits work, call them and ask which supplement they offer that might help with home health care that will pay even though medicare doesnt always pay.

Second thing, if that doesnt work, if you have done estate planning, and happen to have a trust, if some or all of a persons paycheck is paid to the trust, then it counts as property. MediCAL looks at income, there are certain limits to the amount of property a person can have and it gets too confusing to explain on paper here HOWEVER, if she is over 62 and the household INCOME is low enough, she (or both of you) may qualify for mediCAL based on age.

So the purpose of the trust is for avoiding probate, yet a side effect of having one is that at some point paying for long term care becomes necessary.

In Sacramento there is a caregiver support group called del oro. .they have people you can talk to about your specific situation. They go by county, so they may refer you to a similar place if you are in a different county.

IF mediCal Says that you qualify without a share of cost, there is a program to get some help with in home support. If you DO have a share of cost, that might not be the case....however, having MediCal already in place will make it easier to qualify for assisted living programs later on down the road.

Im just talking generally here, as its very specific to each persons circumstances. In our case, I am on MediCal on my own, with my own medicare duue to disability. My partner has medicare and we are both on his calpers retiree supplement. I have MediCal because my income is way way low. His trust qualifiees him for mediCal based on his age and income. Hope this helps.

malloryg8r Oct 2015
Reading the original posted question, it says Johnboy has Medicare, and "Cal-per insurance". There is not information about his wife's insurance. Is "Cal-per" insurance, Medi-Cal (medicaid)? If his wife has the same benefits that is all there is, unless there is VA possible. If she has some type of Alzheimer's or other irreversible dementia diagnosed by her doctor, the doctor can write a letter saying she cannot live at home, and Medi-Cal will assist in placing her in a facility. Then the husband won't have to deal with the burdens of her living at home.

JoAnn29 Oct 2015
Cont: you may have to purchase a second supplimental.

JoAnn29 Oct 2015
I will assume she is on Medicare. Call your supplimental and see if she can be added on as your dependent. If you are low income you may be able to get medicaid. If not low income and your suppliment won't allow you to add her

ramiller Oct 2015
And one other thing, not wanting to take pills is very common. Many of us resort to hiding them in food or drink, sometimes its the only way.

ramiller Oct 2015
How old is your wife? If she is to young for medicare she could qualify under disability. You should always start by calling social security. They are very helpful and can let you know what coverage is available to her. Also local AreaAgency on Aging is specifically for low income people who need help navigating senior issues of all types please give them a call, you will be pleasently suprised at how much info they cover. Keep us posted so we know how you both are doing.

pamstegma Oct 2015
Your wife should be on Medi-Cal too. Talk to your caseworker. Also call her MD and report the combative behavior. She may need better medication. If she becomes totally disoriented, call 911 and get her to a hospital.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter