Legal-Ease: Medicaid and marriage

Lee R. Schroeder is an Ohio licensed attorney at Schroeder Law LLC in Putnam County. He limits his practice to business, real estate, estate planning and agriculture issues in northwest Ohio. He can be reached at Lee@LeeSchroeder.com or at 419-659-2058. This article is not intended to serve as legal advice, and specific advice should be sought from the licensed attorney of your choice based upon the specific facts and circumstances that you face.

Most of us will not know if or when we may need long-term care. The costs associated with such care will be significant, and suitable planning is required to ensure that individuals can still pass assets on to their children.

Protecting family financial legacies while receiving Medicaid is complex. There are a range of tools at one’s disposal, but it will require an experienced attorney to help you navigate the situation, especially for married couples.

Few of my clients want to retire to a nursing home. I personally love nursing homes, and I would probably move into one today if I was allowed and could afford it. Ideally, I would have my own room with a separate entrance, an extra refrigerator and a barbecue grill outside.

Despite most people’s aversion to moving from home, the need for long-term care is a reality that many of us will face someday. Most of us have invested our entire lives scrimping and saving. Then, one day, we find ourselves needing long-term care at some facility. Without preparation, long-term care costs can consume the generational wealth of entire families.

Read more about long-term care, Medicaid and the financial responsibilities of married couples in Lee’s article for the Lima News, “Legal-Ease: Medicaid and marriage.”

Source: LimaOhio.com, “Legal-Ease: Medicaid and marriage,”  by Lee R. Schroeder, January 21, 2017.

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