It’s estimated that 70% of people over the age of 65 will require some type of long-term care services during their lifetime. In the Boston area in 2018, the average cost for assisted living was $5,850/month and $12,710/month for nursing homes. Those are incredibly high costs.
Some people turn to MassHealth for help. MassHealth (Medicaid in Massachusetts) is a joint federal/state program that assists individuals with payment of long-term care and other medical costs. MassHealth is designed to pay for long-term care once a person’s funds and assets are extremely limited.
MassHealth has a lot of complicated rules, and you have to file a detailed application in order to try to get financial help from it. As part of the lengthy application process, you need to provide proof of all of your countable income and countable assets. This includes a variety of sources, including wages, savings. Social Security benefits, cash, bank accounts, real property, and more. If you don’t have an understanding of what is needed, your request may be denied. There are other requirements for MassHealth applicants. To name just a few, you must prove citizenship, provide current tax bills, amounts owed on all real property that you have an interest in, and give proof of your at-home spouse’s living expenses.
Applying for MassHealth can seem daunting. And it’s so important to provide all the information as outlined by MassHealth in an organized way, so it can go through the review process as smoothly as possibly. We can help you through the burdensome and confusing application process. Call us today at (619) 765-9307 or send an email to mkarr@maheritagelawcenter.com to schedule a confidential, no-cost consultation to discuss how we can help you.
