Do all Nursing Homes Accept Medicaid?
By Barry Zimmer on July 18th, 2017 in Medicaid
Cincinnati Medicaid lawyers provide help to those who are trying to get Medicaid to pay for nursing home care or other essential care services. Many people rely on Medicaid to pay for a nursing home because nursing home care is so expensive and because Medicare and most other insurance providers usually don’t cover nursing homes. While Medicare pays for skilled services provided in a nursing home for a limited duration of time, it does not pay for custodial care, which is the routine care provided to patients who are too old or sick to live independently any more.
Qualifying for Medicaid to pay for a nursing home requires that you have limited assets, and Cincinnati Medicaid lawyers help you to structure the ownership of your wealth to protect your money and your property while qualifying for Medicaid to pay for nursing home care. If you want the bills paid for nursing home care, you’ll also need to demonstrate a need for this kind of care based on your health status. Zimmer can help you to understand exactly what is involved in qualifying for Medicaid to pay for a nursing home and can help you to make sure you get qualified.
There is also another important consideration as you determine if Medicaid will pay for nursing home care. The issue: whether or not the nursing home is eligible to receive Medicaid payments. Not all nursing homes can be paid for by Medicaid, and you will need to make certain that you select a care facility which Medicaid actually will pay the bills for if you qualify for coverage and want your care to be paid for.
Not All Nursing Homes Accept Medicaid
Medicaid.gov explains the Medicaid policy for when nursing home care will be paid for. According to the website: “Medicaid coverage of Nursing Facility Services is available only for services provided in a nursing home licensed and certified by the state survey agency as a Medicaid Nursing Facility (NF).”
If a nursing home, senior community or assisted living facility is not certified as a Medicaid Nursing Facility, Medicaid is not going to provide coverage for care. Medicaid explains that most patients will find that the homes they are interested in are covered, as many homes have gone through the Medicaid certification process. Many homes accept long-term care insurance, private payments, and Medicaid, so if you start out as a privately paying resident but you end up switching to Medicaid when your personal funds run out, you should not have to switch to a different care facility.
Medicaid will pay for care only when all other insurance options are not available, so if you have any coverage from Medicare because you are getting skilled care services, you will need to rely on Medicare to pay for your care for as long as possible. Again, many of the homes that Medicare pays for while skilled services are being provided are also nursing homes that provide routine custodial care. This means that, just like if you were paying privately and had to switch to Medicaid, you typically are not going to have to change to a different nursing home if Medicare coverage runs out and you still are not able to live independently.
You should work with an experienced attorney to find out if a care facility you’re considering is eligible for Medicaid payments, especially if you’ll first have another source of payment and you do not want to have to relocate once Medicaid would need to begin paying.
Getting Help from Cincinnati Medicaid Lawyers
Cincinnati Medicaid lawyers at Zimmer Law Firm will assist you in qualifying for Medicaid when you need care and will help you to make sure that you can get the costs of your care paid for. Our legal team can work with you to make a comprehensive Medicaid plan that protects your wealth and we can assist you with the process of researching nursing care facilities to find a home that you can get covered and that will provide you with the highest possible standard of living and quality of life.
There is a problem with elder abuse throughout the United States, and choosing the right home is vital to ensure that you can live your life comfortably. To find out how our firm can assist with the creation of a comprehensive nursing home plan, including a Medicaid plan to pay for your nursing home, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at 513.721.1513 to get personalized advice from attorneys with the experience you need. Call now to get your planning process started before an emergency arises and you must go into a nursing home.