Posted on 10/23/2006 10:24:56 AM PDT by SmithL
>>>It was my mothers dying wish not to die, but that didn't happen either.
That's the best point I've seen raised on this thread. LOL.>>>
Sad, ain't it?
I do agree that there is alot of unfairness in the way the laws are applied. However, the answer is not to give more freebies, but to stop giving the really blatant ones we now subsidize.
susie
"There are laws on the books governing how many years previous to the death the title must have been transferred. If the son had title prior to that time limit the state wouldn't have a claim."
__________________________________
That's my only concern.
When we admitted my dad to a nursing home, they started to hand us the Medicaid forms and we told them he didn't need them. They smirked and said, "He will". Really gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling.
**
Rather crass of them to give you the forms. But they are often right. My mother turned over her bank accounts to my brother and me some years before she went into the home; so those assets could not be touched. However, turning over one's home or money can be a risky proposition -- I've seen and heard of children squandering all the money; so when the time comes for Mom or Dad to require care, there is no money to pay for it. But, as in our case, even if the assets are preserved, often the money does run out.
This feels like a slippery slope. In a welfare society the individual can be viewed as owing everything to the state. Therefore once you pass on everything you own is sold to compensate the state for "services provided".
Services provided can be viewed as simple government functions once funded by taxes but now very costly due to the disparity between the public sector and private sector pay. To fund public sector wages the government starts confiscating private property to pay for services.
They just gave the house back to her. I was against the evasion from the start, my mother is not poor and neither am I or my siblings.
Maybe you could email the writer of the article for clarification? I would like to know, but I suspect that he did not go thru the process and now is complaining. However, I could be wrong.
susie
Something I have to wonder about. When the patient is given or ask to sign forms to authorize treatment, are they made aware that receiving the treatment will cost their children the home they're living in? If I'm ever in that position, I might want to know that.
Agreed.
That free stuff sure costs a lot.
But it surprised me when my bro told me Medicaid here in PA did not demand the house. Now, this was a few years ago; perhaps the law has changed. But that's the way it was back then.
Yes PA is pretty generous as far as the house goes. My Grandparents home is still in our family even after my Grandmother was in a nursing home after two years or so. I am not sure if it is because everything was paid or not though. With how expensive nursing care is I sorta doubt it to be honest with you.
Your grand parents may have had long term care insurance.
This is the last big issue with health care. Since your home is basically your biggest savings asset....I believe that if the government is taking care of you, they have a right to it. There's a whole industry set up to make sure the elderly do not lose their homes when they need to pay for their healthcare. IT'S WRONG.
The old man should have transferred the title to the family and the govt can go pound salt for allowing health care to become unaffordable.
I believe that the government is able to force the return of the property and invalidate the sale if it's done less than 2 years before going on medicade.
I know that's the case if it's transferred to family member. I'm not so sure if it's transferred to a non-relative.
Mark
I absolutely agree. I do Medicaid and Medicare billing, and we get a lot of money from both programs. But we also have employees whose kids and families are on Medicaid, and every time one of them gets sick, they go to the ER on Medicaid. Doesn't cost them a dime. And I'm working my butt off to pay costs over and above my insurance for my second bout with lung cancer. The problem really started when we let the government take our money and use it as it sees fit. We opened the door and let the crooks in, and we're paying for it now. Oops, sorry, I guess you pushed on of my buttons! :^)
Carolyn
Yes PA is pretty generous as far as the house goes. My Grandparents home is still in our family even after my Grandmother was in a nursing home after two years or so. I am not sure if it is because everything was paid or not though. With how expensive nursing care is I sorta doubt it to be honest with you.
***
The home in which my mother resided had assured my brother and me that regardless of circumstances, they would still provide care for my mother. Didn't matter whether she had insurance, was eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, whatever. It was a Catholic home, so they may have had some kind of "free care" fund for those who could not pay. Or there may have been some law or internal regulation that stated they could turn no one out for inability to pay. I don't really know the law -- just what we were told. And as I said, it turned out we didn't have to face the situation since my mother passed on before our application for Medicaid was even submitted.
"I may be in the minority here but I see nothing wrong with the state trying to recover some of the care costs of patients"
was same way in MO with my folks
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