Written by Jill Roamer, JD
Chances are that individuals over the age of 65 will need long-term care at some point in their golden years. In fact, 70 percent of seniors will. Part of elder law is helping clients plan for the possibility of requiring long-term care; elder law planning provides clients with options for funding such care.
Medicaid is the only public benefits program that pays for long-term care for non-Veterans. Medicare will only pay for brief nursing home stays under limited circumstances. Before the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, qualifying for long-term care Medicaid benefits was relatively easy. However, since that law became effective, the rules regarding Medicaid eligibility have become much stricter.