Follow
Share

My Mom receives Social Security from USA and Canada. ... after paying her monthly portion, she has a remaining balance in the bank, (never over Medicaid's required minimum which in MI. is $2,000). I was under the impression the NH would get every last penny left over after Medicare/Medicaid paid their portion, but that's apparently not the case. I would like to know if they will at some point want to withdraw that as well. The NH said to put it in her NH cash account... where it would be safe away from the possibility of gov't confiscation. I was surprised the NH didn't say "What? She has money left over? Hand it right over right now!" that kind of thing. What are your experiences with this kind of financial situation.

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
The NH may not get every last penny. And I would hesitate to put any surplus in a NH-held account because THEY are earning interest off it, not mom. If it's in the NH account, you can't access those funds to use for non-NH purposes on behalf of mom. Like if she needs new bedroom shoes or has to pay for something not NH related.

Every state in the US has a maximum allowed asset amount to qualify for Medicaid. In my state, it's $3,000 combining bank balances, property values, investments, life insurance values, etc.

Medicare is for anybody over 65 and is just for medical, not room & board kinds of charges. Personal assets don't affect this coverage.

Every state also has a monthly personal allowance the Medicaid recipient gets to have. In my state it's $97 a month. Mom also gets to have the amount her medigap insurance premium costs. So $97+$345 is her monthly "allowance".

In theory, the rest of her income goes toward NH charges as "resident responsibility". Medicaid is supposed to pick up the amount after that.

Mom's nursing home rates are determined by the legislature once a year and the case mix code assigned to her. That code defines the daily rate charged and billed to mom, then Medicaid.

She may very well have an amount left over- in theory. Especially if she isn't spending her $97/month allowance. But that money is mom's - nobody else's.

I'm mom's legal guardian and conservator, and by law I'm allowed to charge for my time. I haven't been, but to make sure that $97 stays out of anybody else's hands, I may charge $97 and put it in another account and use it on flowers or something for her funeral that final expense policy doesn't pay. Like a plane ticket I'm probably going to need to settle her affairs in her home state.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Very helpful... thank you... so, yes, I will pull it out of her account and put it in another saving's account for the future funeral misc expenses... very good advice if I heard everything right. Her Medicaid maximum assets allowed is $2,000 and her spending money is at $60/mo... which she rarely uses. I am mom's POA - financial and medical - so we are in the same position. Thank you, s42+
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter