This article was shared with us by Mary Gill, the Worcester Program Manager for Caregiver Homes of Massachusetts.  Thanks Mary!

The Caregiver Homes Adult Foster Care program provides an alternative to nursing home care for frail older or disabled adults and is accepting both referrals for new clients and applications for caregivers. This MassHealth program pays family (or non-family) caregivers - with the exception of a spouse or legally responsible representative - to provide care at home.

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Most people know that in order to be approved for Medicaid coverage for nursing home care an applicant must meet strict asset tests.  In Massachusetts a single applicant may not have more than $2,000 in assets, not including a primary residence, car needed for transportation, personal belongings, prepaid burial and funeral contracts, and a $1,500 burial account.  The spouse of a married applicant may also keep $109,560, although this figure changes annually for inflation.  All the Massachusetts Medicaid rules and regulations are located on the Office of Medicaid’s website.

What most people don’t realize is that once approved for Medicaid, Massachusetts has an automatic lien on the recipient’s probate estate.  (more…)

Clients ask me all the time whether or not they should have long-term care insurance. The answer isn’t always so cut and dry. The important thing is that if people are going to consider it as part of their retirement planning, they need to make a thorough assessment. In the May 2008 edition of, Peter Keating makes the argument in favor of long-term care insurance. Don’t Overlook Long-Term-Care Insurance, Smart Money, May 2008.

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