As you get ready to turn 65, you may be inundated with information about Medicare. All this information is confusing, but it is important to do your research before choosing your plan. If you aren’t fully informed, you could end up making mistakes that will cost you down the road, particularly when it comes to how “Medicare Advantage” and “Medigap” plans interact.
Linda Strohschein, Principal Attorney for Strohschein Law Group, testified to help improve proposed regulations by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Bureau of Appeals and Hearings.
President Obama has signed a new law intended to prevent Medicare beneficiaries from spending days in a hospital only to find that they hadn’t been admitted to the hospital at all – they were only under “observation.” This is important because Medicare covers nursing home stays entirely for the first 20 days, but only if the patient was first admitted to a hospital as an inpatient for at least three days.
Are you approaching age 65 and currently covered by a marketplace health care plan under the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”)? If so, you should think carefully about your options. While it’s possible to keep or renew your marketplace plan once you become eligible for Medicare, there could be steep costs for doing so, and switching to Medicare is viewed as the best option in virtually all cases.
The 2015 survey was based on responses from more than 15,000 nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day health facilities and home care providers. The survey was conducted by phone during January and February of 2015.
Executing a power of attorney is not as simple as it first seems. It is important to have a qualified elder law attorney help you. The team at Strohschein Law Group offers the quality, compassion and experience required to help you, or a loved one, put your personal affairs in order.
In most states, transferring your house to your children (or someone else) may lead to a Medicaid penalty period, which would make you ineligible for Medicaid for a period of time. However, there are circumstances in which transferring a house will not result in a penalty period.
If you’re like most people, you have the best of intentions with regard to how you want your estate distributed when you die or your affairs handled should you become incapacitated. Unfortunately, without proper planning, your best intentions may not be enough. Here are six of the most common estate planning mistakes people make.
The cost of long term care is more than just financial. Our aging loved ones face the challenge of change and the caregivers add more to their plate of responsibility. To lessen financial and emotional stress, Strohschein Law Group can help you maximize private assets, increase access to public benefits, and ultimately enhance quality of life for everyone involved. We can help, we do this everyday for our clients.
If you intend to repay family members or friends for their caregiving work, you need to draw up a formal agreement, especially if you think you will ever apply for Medicaid long-term care benefits. It is important to get help from Linda Strohschein, and her team at Strohschein Law Group, in drafting this type of contract.