What type of thing did you spend down on? I don't want to just throw everything at the nursing home. I think my father should spend it on home repairs. The money is spent down and then the house would become more valuable. What do you think?
My understanding is.. if he’s in a facility, then his spend down is limited to paying for his care and his needs related to being in a facility, but if he’s still living at home then his spend down can go for his needs and his homestead property
Spending down means buying insurance - private dental insurance ... a private medi gap plan G or F... or a burial plot... there are only a few things that you can use as tools to "spend down" with. We spend $350.00 + a month on private insurances ...the $350.00 we spend out of pocket for private insurances, is subtracted from Mothers "income" and makes her "income" low enough not to have to pay a share of cost.... Before we purchased private insurance-(spending down her income) her share of cost was $900.00 per month for medi Cal. It was a catch 22...she could not afford to pay care givers and stay in her home ... but now Medi Cal pays for her caregivers and she still has enough left to live on and stay at home. The xtra insurance has been a big help also and has provided better care for her all the way around. At present, at least until 2019, spending down is an option. I think it is going to be taken off the table in 2019...so seeing a good elder law atty now for advice is a good idea for the long haul. Only Medi Cal pays for long term care. Medi Cal -covers In Home Supportive Services caregivers are paid by Medi Cal insurance to come into her home and help her with bathing and shopping and laundry. Medi Cal insurance provides long term health insurance that helps with her daily care ... they also pay for a nursing home if you need 24 hr care. They can attach your home if you own one. If a daughter or son is caring for them in their home for 2 years they can leave the home to them....and Medi Cal is OK with that because it saves the government a lot of money they would be paying to a nursing home. All this is so complicated ...YOU Need to see a Medi Cal specialist or elder law atty to understand this .... understand that spending $350.00 a month on private insurances, (spending down) can make it possible to afford to stay in your own home and age gracfully in place.
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if he’s in a facility, then his spend down is limited to paying for his care and his needs related to being in a facility,
but if he’s still living at home then his spend down can go for his needs and his homestead property
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Only Medi Cal pays for long term care. Medi Cal -covers In Home Supportive Services
caregivers are paid by Medi Cal insurance to come into her home and help her with bathing and shopping and laundry. Medi Cal insurance provides long term health insurance that helps with her daily care ... they also pay for a nursing home if you need 24 hr care. They can attach your home if you own one.
If a daughter or son is caring for them in their home for 2 years they can leave the home to them....and Medi Cal is OK with that because it saves the government a lot of money they would be paying to a nursing home. All this is so complicated ...YOU Need to see a Medi Cal specialist or elder law atty to understand this .... understand that spending $350.00 a month on private insurances, (spending down) can make it possible to afford to stay in your own home and age gracfully in place.