Getting to Know Medicaid
Millions of Americans receive comprehensive health coverage and financial assistance through Medicaid, a federal and state public health insurance program. The program helps low-income families, individuals, and people with disabilities receive adequate health care and provides nursing home or community long-term care services. As of August 2022, more than 90.5 million individuals were part of the Medicaid […]
Healthcare Directives and Their Importance
Disease, injury, or illness can cause some people to lose the ability to communicate their wants and needs. When this happens, they need someone they trust to advocate for them. You can prepare the proper legal documents in advance. Losing the Ability to Communicate Unfortunately, there are many ways people can lose their ability to […]
Medical Bills: Avoiding Unwelcome Surprises
In addition to dealing with a medical emergency, you might find yourself facing massive bills that are uninsured. For example, suppose that you underwent emergency surgery for some reason. You scheduled it at a hospital that participated in your insurance network but later received a whopping bill from the anesthesiologist in addition to the surgery […]
Understanding Medicaid Eligibility
In terms of health care coverage and long-term care, Medicaid is an important federal-state partnership program for seniors and people with disabilities. Qualifications for Medicaid vary by state, with overarching federal guidelines. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit organization focusing on national health issues, recently released findings from their 2022 50-state survey on pathways […]
Medicaid Enrollment and Eligibility Changes
CMS has proposed simplifying Medicaid enrollment and increasing the number of people eligible to obtain and maintain coverage. Overall the goal is to streamline applications, verifications, enrollments, and renewals, standardize processes, and reduce red tape. These proposals are a response to the Biden Administration’s January 2021 and April 2022 executive orders to increase access to quality, affordable health coverage […]
Who Are Elder Law Attorneys and What Do They Do?
Older and disabled individuals are affected by a wide range of elder law issues. Lawyers who practice elder law assist seniors and loved ones in living better lives by advocating for them and creating legal plans for them. Elder law may include planning for retirement, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, long-term care planning, estate planning, guardianships, and […]
The Most Common Reasons for SSI and SSDI Rejections
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) applicants should be aware of some major disqualifiers before applying. Eligible individuals can benefit from both programs though they have distinct differences. The major difference is SSI eligibility qualification relies on age, disability, and limited resources and income, while SSDI eligibility determination relies on disability […]
Financial Fraud and Abuse of the Elderly
Annually, American elder financial fraud and abuse total between 2.6 and 36.5 billion dollars in lost assets and money, according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA). The NCOA believes instances of elder financial abuse and fraud are likely underreported, although self-reported financial exploitation has higher rates than the other types. Even as the coronavirus […]
The Services of Elder Law Attorneys Benefit Seniors and Their Families
As a legal advocate for aging adults and their loved ones, an elder law attorney or certified elder law attorney specializes in elder law. Generally, elder law involves a wide variety of issues relating to the elderly or disabled. Under the umbrella of elder law, you will find topics such as guardianship, retirement, health care […]
RESOLUTION: Get That Estate Plan Done!
The first new year’s resolution you need to keep is to visit your friendly elder-law attorney, who can guide you through the estate planning process. Unfortunately, we are still at the mercy of this pandemic. It is extremely important to have your papers prepared in advance in case you become ill to the point where […]