A number of my clients have experienced a gap in their Medicaid coverage because they moved from one state to another to be closer to their families. It is important to remember that Medicaid is not portable. You cannot simply…
In a previous blog, we discussed the important documents—healthcare proxy, living will, and power of attorney—that allow you to appoint people to make healthcare, legal, and financial decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated. If you have not finalized those…
Russo Law Group, P.C. is pleased to share this article on behalf of guest author Don Poole. It is becoming more competitive to get access to the best long-term care providers, as 10,000 Baby Boomers turn age 65 every day…
Many people that I meet have either heard of or think they know something about Medicaid’s 5-year lookback rule, but most people do not know exactly what it means. For example, they may not realize that there are certain transfers…
The Department of Health, overseer of the Medicaid program in New York, recently issued GIS 16 MA/010 updating the actuarial life expectancy table. “So what,” you say? Let’s say Joan is applying for Medicaid benefits and she has a retirement…
The Supplemental Security Income program, known as SSI, is a federally administered program. Unlike Medicare or Medicaid, SSI is a federal welfare program that pays monthly cash benefits to individuals who fall within 1 of 3 categories: Aged - over…
As in years past, the government continues to look for ways to restrict Medicaid eligibility and benefits. This year has been no different. There were proposals to further restrict Medicaid eligibility and coverage. As part of the governor’s annual budget,…
When speaking with clients about the complicated Medicaid rules, availability, and exceptions, they often reply something like, “Wow, there’s so much to know.” Clients come to us because we know the rules, and more importantly, we know the exceptions. Case…
The federal government recently addressed a very expensive glitch in the systematic treatment of patients in hospitals throughout the country, which mandates that hospitals provide notice as to a patient’s observation status.
As we discussed in our blog post on May 31, 2013, “Status Does Matter: Observation v. Admission”, there is a big problem that many Medicare recipients have been facing: patients are footing the bill. The problem is that patients are footing the bill for rehabilitation services in a skilled nursing facility when they are under the impression that these services are covered by Medicare. At the heart of the problem is that the hospital never actually admitted the patient, and coded them with a status of “under observation.”
Often times when clients make an appointment with our law firm, they have a very specific estate planning concern or issue. They may have a particular focus in mind, such as updating a will or avoiding probate. With a plethora of details to consider, it is often challenging for individuals to adequately address all aspects of their personal “big picture”, i.e. their complete estate.