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My mom is 73 and has been living with me for about a year and a half. It’s getting too hard for me as I am disabled as well. I tried assisted living for about 3 months. They were trying to charge for extra care and she could not afford it. She does not have Medicare as of yet. She makes around $3000 a month but the homes are expensive. We live in Urbana Ohio. Any help would be greatly appreciated

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Amy1973p: Contact Social Security.
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Reply to Llamalover47
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Her mom may not be on Medicare because it’s part of social security. You have to apply for it. It doesn’t come automatically so if I were you I would contact Social Security. Even when you turn 65 you have to apply. Social Security has Medicare as part of your SS benefit. They do charge for your Medicare monthly. I have direct deposit and I pay $158.00 a month but I don’t feel it because they take it out of your social security check. If your SS check is large enough you can pay for your Assisted living facility like I do. I collect almost $2300 a month minus the $158.00 Medicare they take out. The rest goes to the Assisted Living facility which I pay $1,997 a month. There isn’t much left after that but the facility is mandated to pay me a stipend of $120.00 a month per the state department of health regulations. Plus I pay $50.00 a month to T-Mobile and $60.00 for my credit card. There’s around $50.00 a month in my bank account per month and I let it accumulate until I have a decent amount of cash saved up.
you don’t live wealthy but everything else is covered like meals and food and laundry and visits from doctors that accept Medicaid like a podiatrist for free toenails clipping and dental hygienist comes in to clean our teeth for free thanks to Medicaid.
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Reply to Andytheman1
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If she is a veteran or spouse of a veteran get with the Veterans Services officer in your area (ours is at our county courthouse) and make an appointment. The qualification time is lengthy but it’ll help with care expenses.
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Reply to JenJen24
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One more thing. Social Security doesn’t come to you automatically. As long as you don’t apply you won’t get it but the good part is the older you begin collecting SS you get a bigger monthly benefit check.
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Reply to Andytheman1
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I will repeat what others have said. She qualifies for Medicare as you can make $3,000 income before you lose the social security. Social security pays my assisted living cost. Medicaid is for low income people living below the poverty level and making $3,000 a month disqualifies her from Medicaid benefits. Medicaid pays for my doctor visits and transportation and prescriptions if you don’t have part D Medicare. I am also disabled and Medicaid pays for everything Medicare doesn’t cover. Medicare pays 80% with Medicaid paying the remaining 20% plus extra help if the price of a prescription is beyond your coverage but you must be legitimately disabled according to Social Security.
As a result I don’t pay co-pays or deductibles. I’m covered 100% of medical including dental and dentures. Neither pay for implants.
I’m also covered for existing conditions. It’s not an advantage plan which I refer to them as dis-advantage plans as they get you in the end. It’s good for young healthy people.
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ForWhatItsWorth 5 hours ago
After FRA (Full Retirement Age), in her mom’s case 66, she can earn unlimited money and NOT lose any SS benefits. You’d only lose some benefits if you had claimed early (eg a lot of people claim as soon as they are eligible at age 62) and still make income. I believe it’s still that they’d lose $1.00 of benefit per each $2.00 earned.
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WHY does she not have Medicare? Every American should have Medicare starting at age 65! Contact the Social Security office about this.

You had an experience with ONE assisted living community. And they were probably letting you know that your mom's care needs exceeded what they are normally able to provide.
What you do is, you do an online search or call the local Area Agency on Aging and find several assisted living or nursing homes, schedule a tour and visit with an admissions director, who will ask you questions about mom's needs and you can ask questions, including what it will cost. It will be better if you do this on your own, without mom, and narrow down to your favorite options, then take mom to see them. You don't want to scare her by seeing someplace that looks horribly inhospitable.
BTW: Medicare does not cover the cost of assisted living or nursing home care, but it does cover medical expenses, such as doctor visits and medications or medical supplies with a doctor's prescription.
If you are able to get her eligible for Medicaid waivered services, or Long Term Care, then they will help pay the difference, after mom pays, for nursing home care.
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Reply to CaringWifeAZ
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igloo572 4 hours ago
Actually not everyone has MediCARE. If you work 10 years/40 qtrs with reportable FICA (or your spouse did) then you qualify for MediCARE Part A completely premium free and only pay the standard Part B $202.96 mo premium.

But there are folks who do not have the FICA 40 qtrs. It can be too expensive to pay what is required to have MediCARE.
- If you worked 30-39 qtrs it’s a required monthly Part A premium of $311 a mo PLUS the $202.96 = $ 513.96 a mo
- If you worked under 30 qtrs it’s a required monthly Part A premium of $565 a mo PLUS the $202.96 = $767.96 ea mo.

Those that fall in this tend to have low SS retirement income as either they didn’t work or worked under the table or they worked as a “pass through” as they had a LLC or S Corp that made the income. The % is low but is increasing as so many folks are freelancers using an EIN rather than as SS#.

It can be real challenging to deal with. It’s why I asked the OP, if her mom really was not on Medicare. I hope it’s that she has confused Medicare for Medicaid. It happens and frequently.
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Is she really not on MediCARE? Like does not have Medicare as her primary health insurance? If this is the case, why?

if you could get back with an answer, that would be helpful.

Not having MediCARE at all when you are over 65 happens but it’s going to be a really different situation to find a facility for her.
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Reply to igloo572
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Your Mom surely is on Medicare at her age. I think you mean she is not on Medicaid. Medicaid honestly isn't usually a part of ALF or MC; rather they pay nursing homes.
If your Mom makes too much to qualify for Medicaid then it is time to attend with her an Elder Law Attorney who will help with QIT or Miller Trust to put some of her funds into said Trust and to qualify her to admission to facility care.

Truly you cannot continue care when you yourself are not well. Discuss with your doctor and ask for Social Services assistance.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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Sandra2424 16 hours ago
Excellent advice.
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"She does not have Medicare as of yet."

Do you mean Medicaid? If she's 73 she does have Medicare, but it doesn't pay for AL.

Please contact your local Area Agency on Aging for resources and information; or call 2-1-1 (ditto); or talk to a social worker about an Elder Waiver for AL.
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