Houston Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney Blog
By definition, Medicaid is a government benefit that is available to individuals with lower incomes that need to pay for long-term care. It was created in 1965 and provides coverage to millions of Americans, including pregnant women and older people who need health insurance. Despite its widespread availability, it can sometimes be difficult to access Medicaid, and Houston Medicaid planning attorneys can be incredibly helpful in making sure you receive the benefits you need when times are tough.
When You Might Consider Hiring a Medicaid Planning Attorney
If you or a loved one is considering long-term care, you might want to contact an attorney that can help you think through what benefits are available to you. Additionally, if you are currently undergoing a financial change in circumstances, it could be in your best interest to talk to an attorney to see if you qualify for Medicaid.
Working through a serious illness or planning for retirement might also be reasons to talk to a Medicaid attorney. This can be especially helpful when you feel as if your medical issues require enough attention that it is difficult to focus on taking the time to apply for Medicaid benefits on top of everything else you have going on.
Tools to Help You Access Medicaid
Because the requirements to access Medicaid can be stringent, there might be times you need to organize your assets to make sure you can qualify. For example, putting your money into a trust can protect the money from the government’s evaluation of your assets, therefore allowing you to continue to qualify for Medicaid even if your trust assets would put you over the government’s typical limit.
There are also rules that allow a spouse to continue to bring in larger sums of money, even when that person’s spouse is receiving Medicaid. That way, the spouse without the need for Medicaid does not prohibit his or her spouse from receiving the insurance that he or she might otherwise have access to.
At times, however, the rules for Medicaid access can be particularly difficult, and ultimately receiving Medicaid can require long phone calls, many online forms, and difficult procedural requirements that can take up a lot of time and energy. By consulting a Medicaid planning attorney, you can get insight into how to access these benefits as easily as possible, allowing you to get insurance quickly when you need it the most.
Are You or a Loved One in Need of an Attorney in Texas?
For all of your estate planning needs, contact McCulloch & Miller for advice on how to maximize the benefit you can get based on your individualized financial circumstances. We take the time and energy to walk our clients through every part of organizing their assets and debts, and we are personally invested in making sure our clients are satisfied with the services they receive. For a consultation with a Houston Medicaid planning attorney on our team, call us today at (713) 903-7879. You can also fill out our online form to tell us a bit about yourself and your legal needs.