Medicare and the Affordable Care Act

4 years ago

The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought the Health Insurance Marketplace, a single place where consumers can apply for and…

Medicare Appeals

4 years ago

There are five levels in the Medicare claims appeal process: Level 1: Your Health Plan. If you disagree with a…

Medicare Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

4 years ago

For more programmatic information, please see reports published by the Congressional Research Service. CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress,…

Medicare Enrollment Periods

4 years ago

Initial Enrollment Period If you are receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Benefits, then you will automatically get Medicare Part…

What is Medicare Part D?

4 years ago

Medicare Part D was created as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, with an…

What are Medicare Advantage Plans?

4 years ago

Medicare Advantage replaced prior programs, alternatively called Medicare+Choice or Part C, which originated in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.…

What is Medicare Part B?

4 years ago

Medicare part B is voluntary. All persons over age 65 and all persons enrolled in part A may enroll in…

What is Medicare Part A?

4 years ago

Part A provides most of your institutional coverage. It covers inpatient care in hospitals, inpatient care in a skilled nursing…

CMS Announces 2023 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles 2023 Medicare Part D Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts

4 years ago

On September 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts…

CMS Announces Lower Premiums for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans in 2023

4 years ago

On September 29, 2022, CMS issued the following press release regarding 2023 premiums for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans:…

Elder Law and Special Needs Law News Roundup – 9-30-2022

4 years ago

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus…

What makes a signature valid in Georgia?

4 years ago

The dictionary definition of "signature" is "a person's name written in a distinctive way as a form of identification in…

Ohio Court of Appeals Affirms Appointment of Guardian Despite Questionable Transcript from Probate Court Hearing

4 years ago

On September 15, 2022, the Ohio Court of Appeals affirmed a Probate Court decision appointing a guardian despite a spotty…

Articles – Week of September 30, 2022

4 years ago

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review…

Chronic Care Model and Patient Advocacy

4 years ago

In the late 1990s, Dr. Ed Wagner (and his team at the Macccoll Center - now the ACT Center), created…

Elder Law and Special Needs Law News Roundup – 9-23-2022

4 years ago

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus…

HHS Delivers First National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers

4 years ago

On September 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Administration for Community Living (ACL),…

Update on Talevski v. Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County

4 years ago

In our August 26, 2022, News Roundup, we reported that Talevski v. Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County (HHC)…

CMS Virtual Workshops: List Published 9-21-2022

4 years ago

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regularly records and posts informational workshops on a variety of subjects. For…

Articles – Week of September 23, 2022

4 years ago

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review…

Medicaid Planning

4 years ago

Medicaid planning is discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters. Planning is the process of restructuring an estate in a…

Transfer Penalties

4 years ago

Medicaid beneficiaries cannot “fix” eligibility by giving away resources. A transfer of resources without receipt of fair market value will…

Changing the Default Rules for a Community Spouse

4 years ago

As with the income rules, the resource defaults may be changed. First, if all of the Applicant's income has been…

Default Community Spouse Resource Allowance

4 years ago

A Community Spouse is entitled to a resource allowance in addition to the income allowance. 42 U.S. Code § 1396r–5(f)(1)…

Deeming

4 years ago

The SSI regulations describe deeming as the process of considering another person's income or resources to be your own. See…

Resource Eligibility

4 years ago

As a general rule, all countable resources owned by the Institutionalized Spouse are considered available to pay his or her…

Income of the Community Spouse

4 years ago

The law protects a Community Spouse with low income. It does this by diverting a portion of the applicant's income…

Income Eligibility

4 years ago

On the income side, there are three pathways to Medicaid eligibility for nursing home residents. First, SSI recipients are almost…

Nursing Home Medicaid and HCBS Waivers – Financial Eligibility

4 years ago

In evaluating financial eligibility for Medicaid, both monthly income and resources must be considered. The basic rule is everything having…

Financial Eligibility Overview

4 years ago

Categorical and medical eligibility is covered in Chapter 2. Here we begin an aerial fly-over of financial eligibility. In this…

What does if mean to be “blind” under the Social Security Act?

4 years ago

42 U.S. Code § 1382c(a)(2) states: An individual shall be considered to be blind for purposes of this subchapter if…

Medical Eligibility

4 years ago

Only those persons with a medical need are eligible for Medicaid and not all persons needing help receive Medicaid. In…

More on State of Residence

4 years ago

With few exceptions (such as the existence of an interstate compact), a Medicaid applicant must be a resident of the…

More on Citizenship

4 years ago

An applicant must be a U.S. Citizen or a legally admitted alien to receive Medicaid. 42 CFR § 435.406. In…

Categorical Eligibility

4 years ago

In addition, to establish technical eligibility for nursing home Medicaid, an applicant must be (i) a U.S. Citizen or lawfully…

Aged, Blind or Disabled

4 years ago

Individuals who are aged (age 65 or older), blind or disabled may be entitled to Medicaid if they are medically…

What does it mean to be “Disabled” Under the Social Security Act?

4 years ago

The Rule 42 U.S. Code § 1382c(a)(3)(A) states: "an individual shall be considered to be disabled for purposes of this…

Long-Term Care Delivery System

4 years ago

The remainder of this book focuses on long-term care Medicaid. Long-term care refers to a wide range of supportive and…

Coverage for institutionalized individuals and related groups under the special income rule

4 years ago

States may extend Medicaid to certain individuals with incomes too high to qualify for SSI, and who are eligible for…

Poverty-related group for the aged and disabled

4 years ago

The enactment of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (OBRA 86) offered States an option for covering persons whose…

Recipients of State Supplemental Payment (SSP) benefits

4 years ago

Many States provide SSP benefits with State-only dollars on a monthly basis. These payments are intended to cover such items…

Medicaid and Persons who qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

4 years ago

With one important exception, States are required to provide Medicaid coverage to recipients of SSI. SSI, authorized under Title XVI…

Mediaid Eligibility (in general terms)

4 years ago

The Federal Medicaid statute defines over 50 distinct population groups as being potentially eligible for States’ programs. Some groups (classes…

Origins of the Medicaid Program

4 years ago

Medicaid was enacted in 1965, in the same legislation that created the Medicare program, the Social Security amendments of 1965…

Medicare/Medicaid Relationship

4 years ago

The Medicare program (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act) provides hospital insurance (HI), also known as Part A coverage,…

Has Georgia Abolished Irrevocable Trusts?

4 years ago

The answer, like the answer to many legal questions, is maybe. Georgia has not outright abolished irrevocable trusts. However, O.C.G.A.…

Articles – Week of September 16, 2022

4 years ago

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review…

Cognitive Rehab May Help Older Adults Clear Covid-Related Brain Fog

4 years ago

By: Judith Graham August 5, 2022 Eight months after falling ill with covid-19, the 73-year-old woman couldn’t remember what her…