Do you probably need a Pinellas Park Medicaid Attorney? Do you think your spouse or aging loved one might need nursing home care one day? Has an elderly family member suddenly been admitted into a skilled nursing facility?
Most people plan well enough for retirement, but fail to plan for the possibility of becoming disabled as we age, whether from injury, illness, or progressive condition.
Welcome, I’m John Frazier, a Pinellas Park Medicaid attorney. With careful planning under the Florida Medicaid program, I help aging seniors and their families throughout Pinellas County get good, affordable long-term nursing home care—without losing their life savings.
Costs of Nursing Home Care in Pinellas Park
The reality is, almost half of our elderly population will spend time in a nursing home during their lifetime. Most elders struggle to afford such care. For Pinellas County seniors without long-term care insurance, the average out-of-pocket cost for nursing home care in 2019 is $102,823 per year for a semi-private room or about $8,569 monthly. (1)
And that’s just the nursing facility. Expenses grow rapidly when medical treatment and prescription drugs are added. At that rate, even a substantial savings account can be emptied in a year or two.
Knowing these facts, it becomes clear that sooner or later, you or your spouse will likely need long term care, and that you need to plan on paying for it.
What Is Medicaid Planning?
The Florida Medicaid program pays the bills for countless seniors’ long-term nursing home care. But eligibility for Medicaid is very stringent. Besides meeting Medicaid’s medical requirements, eligibility is also based on your assets and income, as well as your spouse’s assets and income. If either applicant or spouse has too many assets, they will not meet the program’s eligibility requirements.
An experienced Medicaid lawyer can help you meet these requirements. When this happens, Medicaid becomes the best option for many, many seniors.
Even with significant assets, you may qualify for Medicaid long-term care benefits by using various financial and asset protection strategies available to you. Medicaid planning is the field of Elder Law through which I help applicants meet Medicaid’s requirements and at the same time, preserve assets—often saving thousands of dollars each month.
But Medicaid planning is far more than just getting someone eligible for Medicaid and filling out an application. It is a legal process of positioning your income and assets.
The “planning” part of the process involves your Pinellas Medicaid attorney helping you to look to the future, using different techniques to help you or your elderly loved one plan for long-term care expenses, and much more.
Do You Need Medicaid Crisis Planning?
You or a loved one may suddenly be in need of skilled nursing home care. Illnesses and accidents strike without warning—when it does, everything changes.
Your elderly parent has suddenly fallen seriously ill and will need long-term nursing home care upon release from the hospital. You have lost sleep trying to figure out how to pay for it all. As a highly experienced elder law attorney, I can help you implement a Medicaid crisis plan.
Together we will get a handle on the senior’s current Medicaid eligibility. It is vital to know that certain previous financial transactions can cause a loss of Medicaid benefits.
I will help you legally protect what assets you have that can be protected, without jeopardizing your Medicaid eligibility. I will help you apply for Medicaid benefits, ensuring that we legally protect the maximum dollar amount allowed by Florida law.
Questions? Ask Your Pinellas Park Medicaid Attorney today!
If you are wondering how to pay for long term care, I urge you to contact me as soon as possible. There is really no time to lose. Those who put it off are just losing out on preserving money and assets. The sooner you take action, the sooner you may be eligible for Medicaid.
As your Medicaid planning lawyer, my first duty to you will be to help you understand your Medicaid benefit needs and other relevant matters of Florida Elder law. [Link to Elder Law practice area landing pg.]
I will review your financial situation with you, and explain opportunities unique to your case by which you can save important assets from loss due to nursing home costs. I will answer any questions you may have regarding:
Florida’s Medicaid Institutional Care Program (ICP) and the
Home and Community Based Services (the Medicaid Waiver Program).
It’s critical to know how each program interacts with Pinellas Park seniors in the long-term care context.
Take the first step with a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. I welcome your call at (727) 260-2581 or please contact me here.
Are you concerned about the costs of hiring an attorney? Read more about my sliding scale fees that are the clearest, fairest you will likely find.
(1) Source: Genworth Financial Inc. Cost of Care Survey 2018