When facing potential costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, a complex process, and institutions who are looking to get paid, you should hire a Mainecare nursing home benefits asset protection attorney.

How to Apply for Mainecare nursing home benefits – the difference between Medicare and Mainecare nursing home benefits & Eligibility

Medicare

Medicare is a health-care benefit provided by the federal government to individuals over age 65, or under age 65 and disabled.  Medicare covers some of the cost for seniors. Doctor visits, tests and care provided in a hospital can be covered by Medicare. However, Medicare does not cover long-term stays in a nursing home. So, unless you have long-term care insurance coverage, chances are, the applicant is paying for the cost of long-term care. To qualify for Medicare, you must be over 65, and eligible for Social Security benefits.  Individuals under the age of 65 might also qualify if they have been disabled for two years. Medicare can be applied for in the Social Security Office. There is a Social Security Office in Rockland Maine. This Social Security office serves Thomaston, Rockland, Owls Head, Camden, Rockport, Belfast, Warren, Union, Hope, and Midcoast Maine. 

Mainecare nursing home benefits

Mainecare nursing home benefits are health insurance for non-wealthy Maine residents. To qualify, you must not have income or assets over the limit. What is the limit? It changes periodically. However, if you make an application, and are over the limits you will not qualify. If you transfer property and then make an application, if you don’t do it the right way, you will have a penalty period.

What is the purpose of using an attorney for your Mainecare nursing home benefits application? The purpose is to reduce as much as possible the penalty period. In some cases, an estate planning attorney can reduce that penalty period to zero. Another thing a lawyer can do is suggest ways to get the benefit of your assets, including a stream of income, or otherwise using it for things you or your spouse need. The Mainecare rules are very complicated. And every person’s situation is different. If your income or assets exceed the qualifying limits, you will not be eligible.

Mainecare nursing home benefits, eligibility is complicated. Mainecare nursing home benefits require a very detailed financial disclosure. Applicants for Mainecare nursing home benefits must submit a multiple-page application and provide copies of all financial transactions, including deeds, for the previous sixty (60) months. That means five years of bank statements, five years of brokerage statements, five years of insurance statements, paystubs, deeds, mortgages, annuities, loans, payments to family members who may have been taking care of the applicant. It can be a daunting process.

Why does Mainecare nursing home benefits require 60 months, or five years, of financial transactions? Because that is how Mainecare nursing home benefits calculate your penalty period.

What is the penalty period in Mainecare nursing home benefits? It is the number of months an applicant is ineligible for benefits. During the penalty period, you’re expected to pay for your own nursing home costs. Paying for those months can deplete your estate very quickly. This can cause a strain for the spouse left living at home. It can mean no inheritance for your heirs.

Nursing Home Costs

Medicare will only pay for 20 days in a nursing home (in limited circumstances, it can pay the partial cost of 80 additional days). Mainecare nursing home benefits will pay the entire cost of a nursing home.

What if The Nursing Home is Offering to do my Mainecare nursing home benefits Application for Free?

The laws around Mainecare nursing home benefits qualification are complicated. There are many exceptions.  Many times, the hospital or nursing home will offer to do the application for you. They will even do the application at no cost. But that free application process could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars if it is not done right. The nursing home or the hospital has an interest in getting paid. Their interest is not the same as your interest. Even though the hospital or nursing home may not intentionally deplete your estate, Mainecare nursing home benefits is a complex system. Mainecare nursing home benefits asset protection attorneys scrutinize the rules, laws and case law to find the best possible way to apply for a client. Since every client is different, you cannot make generalizations about what benefit can be offered. However, an attorney is duty bound by the rules of conduct to zealously advocate for her or his client. It takes time and dedication to acquire the legal knowledge necessary to produce the best possible outcome for the applicant.

How Much do Lawyers Charge to Make a Mainecare Application?

Lawyers fees for Mainecare Applications are substantial. But the Mainecare application lawyer can tell you beforehand how much of your estate can be saved. Then you can compare the lawyer’s fee with the amount of your property you are saving. If it doesn’t seem worth it, you don’t have to hire the lawyer. The nursing home will not do that. A well prepared application can save you tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Consider that fact when deciding whether or not it is worth it to pay a lawyer to do the Mainecare application.

Let’s get right to the point. In Maine, the estimated annual cost for nursing home care is around one hundred twenty thousand dollars per year. That’s almost $330 per day. Are you facing that cost? Is it possible that Mainecare nursing home benefits can pay? As the spouse, or child of someone who is about to go into a nursing home, you have some important decisions to make. One of the most important decisions you can make at this time is this: Should you let the nursing home make a free application for Mainecare nursing home benefits? Should you apply on your own? Or should you hire a lawyer to apply for Mainecare nursing home benefits? Without the “three essential protection features” of a good Mainecare Application Plan, you cannot make an informed decision.

If you have a loved one who is in a nursing home, or about to go into a nursing home and are considering making a Mainecare application plan, you should get a MAP. This article describes the three things that every person should know before applying for Mainecare nursing home benefits. However, it is not legal advice. If you wish to know how to apply for Mainecare nursing home benefits you should contact Penbay Estate Planning Law Center, in Camden Maine, and consult with a lawyer who concentrates in Mainecare nursing home benefits crisis cases. Get a MAP and then apply for benefits.

When facing potential costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, a complex process, and institutions who are looking to get paid, you should hire a Mainecare nursing home benefits asset protection attorney. If you need to know how to apply for Mainecare nursing home benefits, consider seriously contacting the Mainecare nursing home benefits asset protection attorneys at Penbay Estate Planning Law Center. We can quickly provide you with an accurate MAP to help make your decision.

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