Shellie_p wrote: Rules may vary between states, but under FEDERAL rules, the recipient's primary residence and a vehicle are EXEMPT assets. They do not count against an individual for qualification for Medicaid.
For those who are not in the US. Medicare is the Federal Program that is to provide medical care for those who receive Social Security Benefits, either from old age or disability. Medicaid is an adjunct program that is administered by the state government (there are fifty states.) Medicaid can be for those who do not receive Medicare, and are simply poor. Medicaid can provide payment for some types of services which Medicare does not, like eyeglasses or limited dental care, or perhaps prescription benefits. (Medicare Prescription benefits is a separate program than the other two, and is in my experience, not as helpful to the individual as Medicaid Prescription benefits.)
In Texas, which is dominated by conservative Republican state legislators, it is a bit hard to know the real truth of what the system will regard in what way. Let me say that in another way: A year ago I was applying for Medicaid and Food Stamps, and the lady who does the qualification for food stamps put it this way, "I do the "Food Stamps program that is put on a debit card once a month, usable where it is accepted. The only people who actually know the rules of the Medicaid program work in the in the one office which evaluates all the Medicaid cases." As she told me, and seems to be true, the state decides who is eligible for Texas Medicaid based upon gross income. However, there are two types of Medicaid for one such as myself, a Social Security Disability recipient. The lowest level used to be called QMB (Qualified Medical Beneficiary) which pays for my Social Security monthly Premium, and my Social Security drug Premium. The deeper level makes my deductibles and co-pays, which for Social Security is 20 percent of what Medicare calls Assignment, what Medicare decides a doctor/clinic/hospital should be allowed to charge for a particular service/procedure.
Texas Medicaid does not allow one to have any property other than the one the person lives on. You can have the million dollar house, you can not have a vacation property, or even a vacant field. Medicaid recipients can not have a recreational vehicle, whether it be motor home, or even a 4 wheel drive vehicle meant to drive around in icy weather. Medicaid recipient have limits of other assets, like bank accounts or stocks.
However Texas Medicaid does allow, if I pay rent, that it will count towards the Medicaid which would pay for my Medicare Premium. So in effect, owning ones own home might be seen to disqualify a person from Medicaid, when they could qualify if they rented.
On the other hand Food Stamps does allow more food stamps dollars based upon some expenses. Like rent, which a person who owns his own home does not have. Food stamp allowances for other expenses are rooted in numbers from a far earlier time. Like how is much one can deduct for power.
Medicaid has another provision or two that is sorta relevant. If one goes into a nursing home, on Medicaid, then the home is an asset, and it either must be sold and the money spent on health care before Medicaid can be applied, or the title given over to the state. There appears some other rules about my obtaining Medicaid if I will sign an agreement so the state gets my house when I die or move out of the house.
On some level that favors the rich obtaining the property of those who previously took Medicaid at a cut rate. If a person dies, the state takes the house. It will be sold at Auction on the court house steps. Working class people are not able to make a good judgement what the property is worth, or likely to be able to take off work to attend the auction, and most importantly the full price is due immediately at the end of the Auction. Meaning the buyer will most likely be a speculator who has the cash to buy, and intends to resell the property at a huge profit. Not to the poor working slob who will need to take several weeks getting a mortgage together. Oh wait, my bad, most working people today can not get a mortgage in todays market.
Once again, there is no one to talk to about Medicaid rules. If one can get someone from the Medicaid qualification office on the phone, they will first say, that if what they verbally tell you in the conversation is incorrect, the state can not be held to what they say. Truth is, the State legislature is constantly tweaking the rules to save the state money, meaning to disqualify people from Medicaid. Until one trips over the exact rule that keeps them from qualifying, then it is a bit hard to know much.
A good example of how the programs are actually administered. Food Stamps will demand to know how much a recipient spent on authorized deductions between January first and January fifth to determine the dollar amount of Food Stamps that an individual is entitled to.
The gross income to qualify for Medicaid (and I still do not know which level of Medicaid) for a single person is 900 dollars, or more accurately, about 120 percent of 900 dollars. The 2012 Social Security adjustment for inflation took me a bit more than out of the shadow of obtaining Medicaid. I now get $880.00 for Social Security, and $500.00 for selling a piece of real estate. Apparently from the letter Medicaid qualification sent me, by Medicaid rules, that is about $120.00 too much to get the lowest level of Medicaid. Of course, I really need to cover not only the Premiums, but also the deductibles and co-pays. Medicare rules are meant to discourage recipients from seeking health care that they can get along without, and, if recipients intend to be responsible for paying their bills, not to seek health care when they need it. May I say, often a person who can be helped by competent medical care is not qualified to make the judgement of whether they need it or not.
I am convinced that the state hires administrators for programs like Medicaid, who carry into their office a library of Ayn Rand so they will not forget how to push clerks to make decisions. Until the state creates a program to evaluate the decisions of "earned benefit" programs, and has negative consequences for individuals who find ways to make inaccurate decisions that are against the individual (but which save the state money.) For now, I know the state web site which is to explain food stamp program is not accurate, so I can not possibly know if I should qualify for state Medicaid, but have been denied. Maybe I do know, because I can know the intent of the legislators who make the rules.