Medicaid can be a helpful solution for seniors in Maryland needing nursing home care. It is available to seniors with low income and few assets.
Who is eligible for Medicaid in Maryland when needing a nursing home?
For Medicaid to pay for nursing home care, a health care provider must say that the person requires full-time care by medical staff. Medicaid will pay for nursing home care after the senior or a person who is blind or disabled uses their monthly income.
For example, suppose the nursing home costs $1,500 a month and the senior receives $1,000 in Social Security. In that case, they must pay their Social Security check to the nursing home before Medicaid pays the remaining $500 balance. Additionally, the senior must have less than approximately $2,500 in assets. In some cases, if one spouse needs to be in a nursing home and the other does not, the senior may keep the house where their spouse is living. If the nursing home resident plans to return home, they can keep their house. Nursing home residents in Maryland can keep $82 per month to pay for incidentals.
What counts as income under Medicaid?
Any money that a senior gets counts as income, including:
- Social Security
- Alimony
- Employment
- Pension payments
- Social Security Disability Insurance
- Individual Retirement account withdrawals
- Stock dividends
Can a resident sell or give away assets to qualify for Medicaid?
Generally, a person entering a nursing home can sell assets at a fair market price within 60 months of entering a nursing home. The sold items count against the asset total, and if the total is too high, the person going into the nursing home must use other means to pay for their care during a waiting period, equal to the sold asset’s fair market value.
Many people require long-or-short-term stays in nursing homes. Medicaid can help pay for those stays.
