Tag Archives: Medicaid
Medicaid Waiver Services and the Possible Pending Federal Legislation Impacts
Federal Medicaid offers certain waivers for people with special needs or chronic health concerns. With these waivers, healthcare providers can care for someone in their home as opposed to only providing services in long-term care facilities. Each state can choose …
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Future Planning in Case of Your Own Special Needs or Medical Crisis
When you work on future planning for your family, including a child with special needs, you may want to consider that you may have special needs or a medical crisis at some point. Fortunately, there is a way to incorporate …
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How Can Future Planning Help Us Meet the Resource Limits for Benefits?
Most government benefits programs have strict “resource limits” for people applying to receive benefits. If your resources exceed the limit, you will not qualify for benefits. Future planning can help families of individuals with special needs who must have government …
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What Are Medicaid HCBS Waivers? Why They Are So Important, Especially for Adults With Special Needs
If you are working on getting services for your child with special needs, you may have heard about Medicaid HCBS waivers. You may not realize how important getting an appropriate HCBS waiver is for adults with special needs. What Are …
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Health Insurance for Relatives with Special Needs
Families often struggle to pay for health care for their relatives with special needs. Insurance rarely covers all the costs, and the many doctors’ invoices and prescription co-pays may be overwhelming. Make sure you take advantage of all the health …
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Do You Need to Change Your Future Planning Due to the New 2018 Tax Laws?
In January 2018, several new tax laws went into effect that could change your future planning. You should check in with the lawyer who prepared your estate plan and any documents for your child with special needs to see if …
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Is Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It?
You may have heard about buying long-term care insurance. This insurance helps cover the costs of a care facility outside the home or even nursing care inside of your home. There are a few pros and cons of long-term care …
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What Is the Difference Between Medicaid and Medicare?
Despite their similar-sounding names, Medicaid and Medicare are very different programs. To understand how these programs could factor into your future planning for someone with special needs, learn about Medicaid and Medicare functions and eligibility requirements. Medicaid Medicaid assists people of all …
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Why Is Medicare Deducting Premiums from My SSDI Check, and Can the Deductions Be Avoided?
Medicare is a federal government health insurance program covering costs such as hospital charges, home health care, doctor fees, lab costs, outpatient care, and prescription drug coverage. Recipients pay premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance. For Medicare recipients who cannot afford all of …
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Payments from Non-Special Needs Trusts to People with Special Needs
For people with special needs, receiving a payment from a non-special needs trust may have significant consequences. In fact, any unexpected payments can jeopardize a person with special needs’ eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, Medicaid, and other government …
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Special Needs Future Planning When Future Health Care Funding Is Uncertain
Parents of children with special needs, advocates, and care providers have followed recent news about health care funding with worry , because health care funding proposals would cut Medicaid funding by 25 percent or more. While lawmakers in Washington have not passed …
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Expenditures from a Special Needs Trust
Families of individuals with special needs use special needs trusts to save for future expenses and protect eligibility for government benefits. Eventually, you or, in the case of 3rd party special needs trusts more likely the successor trustees, will need …
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Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts: How They Work
Irrevocable life insurance trusts (“ILIT”) can be one part of future planning for individuals with special needs. Like other future planning methods, people planning to use an ILIT as part of their plan should learn about important provisions to include …
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Why Is Estate Planning for People with Special Needs Different?
There are a number of reasons why estate planning for people with special needs can be different than planning for people who do not have special needs. Understanding these reasons will help you during the initial planning process and beyond. …
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What government benefits can my child with special needs qualify for and when?
Raising a child with special needs is challenging. Many families seek public assistance as a way to help cover the living expenses and health care costs associated with the child’s disability. Once a child reaches the age of 18, he …
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