When the special pandemic protections ended in April of last year, millions of Americans lost their Medicaid coverage. In Ohio alone, more than 342,000 got kicked off the rolls, either because of procedural reasons or because they were ineligible for renewal, between April and November 2023. Suddenly losing your coverage can be devastating and leave you feeling hopeless. If you’ve lost your coverage or are worried about losing it, proper Medicaid planning is the best way to ensure that you can remain protected.
What is Medicaid Planning?
Even before the expiration of the special COVID-19 protections, Medicaid eligibility was a tricky and complex process. Not only do eligibility rules change frequently, but they vary both state by state and, within each state, program by program. The result is a process that often feels baffling, but which is necessary both for ensuring your health and for your asset protection.
Medicaid planning is simply taking charge of this complicated situation. Whether working by yourself or with an experienced Medicaid lawyer, the process involves you using various asset protection tools to allow yourself to qualify for coverage. Because Medicaid applications are based on the value of your assets, you’ll need to be sure that your assets are not too highly valued to allow you to qualify. Some steps that you might take to meet the qualification criteria include creating trusts, converting countable assets into exempt assets, and transferring ownership of your assets to a loved one. Different Medicaid programs—for example nursing home Medicaid—require your assets to fall below different levels, so knowing the specific requirements is the first step towards future planning.
Seeking Help with Medicaid Planning
In some situations, Medicaid planning may be a straightforward process, and you’ll be able to handle the planning yourself. In many cases, however, self-planning is not sufficient. Whether or not you’ll need to hire a Medicaid planner depends on several factors, including how much value your countable assets add up to and the type of Medicaid program you’re applying to.
Contact Deliberato Law Center and Protect Your Family Today
If you decide to hire a professional to help you with Medicaid planning, you’ll want to seek out someone with significant experience, knowledge, and flexibility. At Deliberato Law Center, we’ve been helping people with all aspects of future planning for many years. Fill out the form below and start ensuring your legacy today.
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