[sickoflibs]

RE :”wouldn't it make sense to recover that $$$$ from their assets?
.....
It makes perfect sense if the intent is to destroy private property rights. Most family farms now have to be sold when the patriarch dies, because of the Death Tax, especially if they did not get proper advise to incorporate the farm”

In this case we are talking about someone on medicaid(a version of welfare), and medicaid usually paying nursing homes costs, sticking the future taxpayers with the bill which is usually very costly.

Not collecting that $$$ on death is the same as transferring it from the future taxpayers to the dead patient’s heirs.

Its theft to not try to recover that $$$.

[sickoflibs]

So in this case if the patent didn’t sign up for medicaid and he has assets then the hospital or nursing home can go after them. And that could be a problem if a spouse co-owns the house.

As opposed to medicaid (future taxpayers) paying for it and then on death the government goes to the dead patients estate to get the $$$ back.