What is the 5-year look back for assistance?

It is not a ridiculous rule for Medicaid is for poor people payed for by taxpayers and not for the rich who know how to hide their money.

I somewhat disagree. The cost of healthcare is astronomical and the options for long term care options are incredibly small. Average (at least in nj) cost of assisted living was about 9-10k. Some places have a spend down of 100-200k before they will work with you on price as well. I do not consider myself poor and I would never be able to afford 10k/month in living expenses.

With that said your first step is to consult an elder Care lawyer in your area. I had to spend down my dad's assets so he would qualify for Medicaid so I could place him in an alf and they questioned the 5k check for my wedding that he wrote for me since it was less than 5 years ago. Not to mention that the combed through his bank statements line by line to make sure no one is taking advantage of the situation. If you can wait to start applying for Medicaid until there are more than 5 years from the time when they put the house in your name I think that would save up a lot of stress.

To fill the gap , work with the dept of aging services in your area to see what home health care they could provide for a lower cost. Talk to them about your parents' social security income and see what options are available. Not sure if there is a flexible spending account option at your job because that can be applied to adult day Care services as well.

So yogagirl you are advocating or justifying having taxpayers pay for the senior's care because that money should go to the children? Or the taxpayers should pay for her care instead of the family or the senior themself if they have the money? Those parents gave their children a stable & safe home for many years, paid for the kids' weddings and college tuition, and that's not enough and the children want more i.e. an inheritance? My mother's generation saved for their "rainy day" and it came. I never expected money when my parent died. Luckily the education my mother paid for and provided for hme gave me the skills to assure no one would need to support me. That was enough of a gift. Why would any child expect to get money from their parents when they pass? Why should taxpayers pay for someone's care in a NH when the senior has assets that can be used to pay? There are truly poor people in this country that need the resources much more than the children of well off seniors. If Medicaid did not seek repayment from those that have assets would that be fair to the poor people who have nothing? 

Hi Shane1124, thanks for following up. What you're implying was not my intention at all. I am speaking from my personal experience. My dad only started saving about 5 years ago so therefore he had very little assets. He could have lived on his own with the small savings that he had, but long term costs are astronomical so it made more sense to spend down his small nest egg so that long term he could get the expensive care he needed. So we applied for Medicaid for that reason. I think that someone should spend their money the way they want and consider leaving enough to cover their final expenses. I agree that it's not anyone's job to continue to pay for their kids as adults and that's not what I was suggesting at all. For the record, I paid for my own college education and wedding (mostly) and never expected anything either.

My answer was designed to validate the original poster's concerns that healthcare is super expensive, no matter how you slice it. Just because people are well off doesn't mean that it doesn't sting when you see money flying out the door every month due to extremely high health care costs. I didn't consider my dad to be poor necessarily, but on his own, he couldn't have afforded the health care that he needed, so medicaid was the best option for him.

I see that you feel passionately about this issue and I understand why. I am just trying to provide both sides to the story. I hope this clears things up for everyone.

No worries yogagirl. I wish the best for you and your dad.

thanks for the answers although I totally agree if there are assets to pay for long term care they should be used. I have worked in the 911 field for many years and for every "good" aid there are several bad ones and it only takes one to harm your loved one. I have responded to more elderly care facilities for abuse & lack of care than most people can imagine. I have held my patient while the wound clinic cleaned a bed sore so bad they had to be in ICU then hyperbaric treatment, very common if they don't die from sepsis first, this is just one of the many horrific things I have seen in facilities. long term care costs are like the most common drug needed by the majority of people, heart meds & ect. if there is a need they will jack up the price way beyond what's reasonable. long term care should be kind without harm & worry, quality care facilities should not just be for people with assets. I have seen the difference in the facilities & the care.I also feel like seniors paid taxes for years if we spent money on quality care
most of us could feel like we were doing the best we could for our loved ones. If you don't agree with this post, oh well. Unless you die young you will be in this situation at some point. It's a money game at the expense of the elderly