“In 2003, estate recoveries amounted to $330 million, or 0.13% of total Medicaid spending in all states, with individual state collections ranging from 0.0 - 0.64%.11”
It’s a lot of effort to recover relatively very little money.
how much effort is put into recoveries?
Now people with appreciable assets are being automatically enrolled into Medicaid see link in my post #5.
They can put a lien on your stuff without you even having a chance to spend down.
But it’s the right thing to do, IMO.
Sure, if you’re poor you shouldn’t starve or go without shelter or healthcare. But you shouldn’t be able to have those things funded, by the force of government, by your fellow Americans—and not pay it back if you are subsequently able to.
A lot of ‘estate planning’ now is the sheltering of older people’s assets, so they can get other people’s children to fund their healthcare—while passing their own assets on to their own children.
A very little percentage of a very big number can still be substantial.