If you’re privately paying for nursing home care in California, then it’s because you haven’t taken advantage of the opportunity to plan, protect your assets and estate, and qualify for Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal is a middle class program to help pay for the astonishing costs of nursing home care in California. The average cost of nursing home care is officially a little more than $7,000 monthly in California, but this figure is for standard care, and most nursing home residents require care in addition to the standard care, and much like the inflated costs of snacks at a movie theater or meals at a hotel restaurant, the additional care often has a high price tag. The average cost of nursing home care in California is likely closer to $15,000 or more a month. How many of us have an extra $15,000 a month to spend on care, usually at around age 80? Not many, I’d guess, which is why we have Medi-Cal.
Medi-Cal looks at assets and income to determine eligibility to qualify for benefits, and the rules are both intricate and complex. As an analogy (and if you know me, you know I love tax analogies), qualifying for Medi-Cal is a little like how to save money on your taxes: it depends a lot on your situation and there may be a lot you can do to improve your financial situation. What I recommend is at least looking in to whether you could qualify or not – what do you have to lose, other than paying $10,000 a month?
We offer a complimentary analysis of your situation for Medi-Cal eligibility. If you download and fill out this form, we will get back to you within 48 hours with a preliminary report on how we can help you qualify for Medi-Cal benefits. Click here to get our FREE Medi-Cal Eligibility Form.
Christina McPherson, Attorney: McPherson Law Group - Estate Planning, Living Trusts 
December 2, 2016 at 12:52 AM
much like the inflated costs of snacks at a movie theater or meals at a hotel restaurant, the additional care often has a high price tag.