Medicaid Spend Down Blog
Forty articles on assets, look-back, income, strategies, trusts, couples, and recovery.
- assets
Medicaid Countable Assets List
What Medicaid counts in bank accounts, investments, and personal property.
- assets
Non-Countable Assets for Medicaid
Property types many states exclude from the resource test.
- exemptions
Is Your Home Exempt From Medicaid?
Primary residence rules, equity caps, and intent-to-return tests.
- exemptions
Medicaid Vehicle Exemption Rules
One-car allowances, fair market value limits, and spouse vehicle rules.
- exemptions
Burial Fund Medicaid Exemption
Prepaid funeral contracts, burial plots, and irrevocable trust limits.
- look-back
Medicaid Gift Penalty Calculation
How penalty divisors turn gifts into months without coverage.
- look-back
Medicaid Look-Back Exceptions
Transfers that skip penalty periods under federal and state rules.
- look-back
Transferring Assets to Family and Medicaid
Gifts, sales, and caregiver arrangements inside the five-year window.
- look-back
Caregiver Child Exemption for Medicaid
Adult child live-in rules and documented care requirements.
- income
Medically Needy Medicaid Explained
How excess-income programs differ from regular Medicaid caps.
- income
Incurred Medical Expenses for Spend Down
Stacking bills to meet medically needy income limits each month.
- income
Medicaid Spend Down on Monthly Income
Budget periods, MNIL math, and when income resets.
- assets
SSI vs Medicaid Asset Limits
Why SSI $2,000 rules do not always match LTC Medicaid caps.
- assets
Can Medicaid See Your Bank Accounts?
Verification requests, electronic matches, and statement timing.
- assets
Are IRAs and 401(k)s Medicaid Countable?
Retirement account treatment by state and withdrawal timing traps.
- assets
Is Life Insurance Medicaid Countable?
Term vs whole life, face value tests, and assignment rules.
- basics
Medicaid Waiver vs Regular Medicaid
HCBS waivers, nursing-home pathways, and different asset tests.
- basics
What Happens If You Do Not Spend Down?
Private pay, denial letters, and reapplication timing.
- myths
Does Medicaid Take Your House?
Life estate myths, lien timing, and surviving spouse protections.
- myths
Five-Year Look-Back Rule Myths
Common misconceptions about gifts, trusts, and penalty clocks.
- strategies
Nursing Home Medicaid Spend Down
LTC asset caps, level-of-care forms, and facility billing cycles.
- strategies
Assisted Living Medicaid Spend Down
Waiver slots, room-and-board charges, and spend-down timing.
- strategies
Prepaid Funeral Medicaid Spend Down
Irrevocable funeral contracts as an allowed spend-down channel.
- strategies
Paying Debt for Medicaid Spend Down
Credit cards, mortgages, and medical debt the agency accepts.
- strategies
Home Improvements for Medicaid Spend Down
Repairs that count vs upgrades that trigger look-back questions.
- strategies
Annuity Rules for Medicaid Spend Down
D4A compliant annuities, actuarial soundness, and state reviews.
- strategies
Promissory Note Medicaid Rules
Loans to family, note terms, and countable asset treatment.
- strategies
Medicaid Spend Down Timeline
Month-by-month planning from diagnosis to application filing.
- look-back
Medicaid Penalty Period Calculator Guide
Divisor tables, partial months, and state-specific math.
- trusts
Spend Down vs Miller Trust
When medical-bill deductions beat a qualifying income trust.
- trusts
Qualifying Income Trust Requirements
Bank setup, trustee duties, and income deposit deadlines.
- trusts
Funeral Trust Medicaid Rules
Irrevocable burial trusts vs revocable prepaid contracts.
- couples
Community Spouse Resource Allowance
2026 CSRA math, minimums, and documentation for workers.
- couples
Medicaid Asset Protection for Couples
Splitting countable assets without triggering penalties.
- application
Medicaid Application Checklist
Statements, IDs, and medical forms county offices request.
- application
Medicaid Interview: What to Expect
Phone vs in-person reviews, common questions, and document pulls.
- application
Medicaid Redetermination Process
Annual renewals, spend-down resets, and loss-of-benefits appeals.
- application
Medicaid Caseworker Discretion
How county workers interpret manuals and when to escalate.
- recovery
Medicaid Estate Recovery by State
Which states file probate claims and which defer to liens.
- recovery
Medicaid Lien on Home
TEFRA liens, post-death recovery, and hardship waivers.