Medicaid planning · for a parent
Medicaid planning before the care home bill arrives
Long-term care can use up a parent’s savings in a few years. Medicaid pays for it once assets fall under a limit, and the rules on what counts, what’s protected and what a spouse keeps are where planning helps. One flat fee covers the plan and the application.
From the first call to a decision
Five steps. You’ll know the cost and the timeline after the first.
- 01
Step 1: Asset review
We list what your parent owns and what Medicaid counts, and what a spouse at home may keep.
- 02
Step 2: The plan
A written plan: what to spend, what to restructure and what to leave alone, with the look-back rules in mind.
- 03
Step 3: Carrying it out
We draft the documents the plan needs and walk the family through each step.
- 04
Step 4: The application
We prepare and file the Medicaid application, with the records it asks for.
- 05
Step 5: Until a decision
We answer the agency’s questions and requests until the application is decided.
Medicaid: the short answers
Is it too late if my parent is already in a care home?
No. Planning helps at any stage, though there are more choices earlier. Call even if the move happened last week.
What is the look-back?
Medicaid reviews gifts and transfers made in the years before an application, five years in most states. Gifts in that window can delay coverage, so we plan around them.
Will my parent lose the house?
Often not while they or a spouse live there. What happens after depends on the state’s recovery rules, which the plan covers.
Ask about a parent’s care costs
Bring a rough list of accounts and the care your parent needs. We’ll say what planning can do.