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My mother has paid for long term care for about 25 years now but she can't do anything on her own n she thinks that her long term care keeps her out of nursing home n she thinks Medicare covers long term care ....she doesn't realize the nursing home would take All her money .. is that correct??? Also what is HIPAA ??? Thanks

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She may be getting confused between Medicare (federal) Medicaid (state funded by Federal).

Medicare is a health insurance. It only pays for rehab and only a short period of time. 100% the first 20 days, 21 to 100 days 50 %. After 100 it private pay.

Medicaid pays LTC for those who need care but income is too low to afford 24/7 care in a facility. Mom can have no assets above 2k. She can have a home and a car but her money cannot be used to upkeep it. Her SS and any pension will be used for her care.

Your profile says Mom is 41. You may want to change that.

Like said, check out what her policy pays for. If it pays for homecare, then use it.
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Are you talking about LTC insurance? If so, it varies from policy to policy as to whether they will cover any amount of in-home care. I would recommend contacting the company and going over the policy itself to see what exactly it does cover, and for how long.

Medicare does not cover LTC in a facility, except for a very limited amount of skilled nursing care, such as when someone is sent to rehab for, say, 60 days after a stroke, etc. but for that very short duration only, and only when medical circumstances dictate that it is necessary.

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act which deals primarily with privacy when it comes to health care and medical records. Because of this, hospitals and clinics are required to have a signed authorization on file to discuss any kind of medical information on a patient with relatives/loved ones, even outside providers. You want to make sure your mom has one of these on file at her clinics, doctor's offices, etc for you so that you can discuss her health care with her doctors, if you are involved with her care.

Lastly, if a person applies for Medicaid (different from Medicare), their assets do need to be spent down for their care prior to Medicaid kicking in. The way I understand it, there are certain assets that can be exempt in certain situations and a few exceptions, but they are overall very stringent. There is also a 5 year look back period regarding gifts made and any kind of money or property transfers, for which a penalty/disqualification can occur. An elder law attorney well-versed in Medicaid could help with the application process should your mom need a higher level of care. Medicaid will pay for a limited amount of home assistance, but this is very limited, a few hours a week or so, as it is cheaper for them to pay for facility care.
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