THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 9, 2024 Page 15 Saugus Elks Trailer of Hope off ers insight to drug awareness T he Saugus Senior Center along with the Saugus-Everett Elks recently hosted a drug awareness presentation. All who attended expressed how impressed and enlightened they were by the members of the Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness Committee. Gary Carter spoke about his own experiences on the dangers of drugs and then providing a tour of the “Trailer of Hope” – introducing a mock bedroom of where various drugs are hidden. This was an educating event to understand where teens hide drugs. Sa nir Sa a nior y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Paying for Nursing Home Care with Medicaid Dear Savvy Senior, If my mother needs to move into a nursing home, what are the eligibility requirements to get Medicaid coverage? Caretaking Son Dear Caretaking, The rules and requirements for Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care are complicated and will vary according to the state your mother lives in. With that said, here’s a general, simplifi ed rundown of what it takes to qualify. Pictured from left to right: Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness Committee presentation participants: Beverly Marra, Lydia Collier, Eileen Bova, proponent of Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Centers Gary Carter, Saugus Council on Aging Director Laurie Davis, Elks Metro North District Deputy Stephen Leahy and Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness Chairperson and Past District Deputy Ron Visconti. (Courtesy photo) Medicaid Eligibility Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that covers health care for the poor, is also the largest single payer of America’s nursing home bills for seniors who don’t have the resources to pay for their own care. (Note that some states have diff erent names for their Medicaid program.) Most people who enter nursing homes don’t qualify for Medicaid at first but pay for care either through long-term care insurance or out-of-pocket until they deplete their savings and become eligible for Medicaid. To qualify for Medicaid, your mother’s income and assets will need to be under a certain level that’s determined by your state. Most states (except California) require that a single person have no more than about $2,000 in countable assets ($3,000 for a married couple) that includes cash, savings, investments or other fi nancial resources that can be turned into cash. Assets that aren’t counted for ENGAGING WITH THE POLICE: As part of his research and his commitment to help improve public safety on the town’s rail trail, Rick Fail (left) has made a point to reach out to Saugus Police Offi cers Alison Cooper and Billy Cash. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) ASKS | FROM PAGE 3 ents to buy them an e-bike without having the proper knowledge of how to use them and getting into risky situations – like having a temporary seat on the bike when they’re supposed to have a permanent one. And not using a helmet as required. If you are a parent, please go out and do your homework and make sure you know what you’re buying. And make sure your kid is trained and capable of riding an e-bike and follows the rules when they’re riding it so he or she doesn’t get into risky situations. Q: As a regular rider on the rail trail, what are some of the observations you have made during the two years you have been riding your e-bike on it? A: The rail trail is defi nitely being utilized and is one of the best assets we have in town and one of the least expensive. Q: And you have concerns about the safety on the rail trail? A: Yes. Wearing safety helmets is one of the most important things. What I see when I’m out on the trail – about 90 percent of the pleasure riders are wearing their helmets. A lot of the riders who don’t wear helmets are kids. Any person who is 16 years old or younger is supposed to be wearing a helmet when they are operating a bike. This also applies to in-line skates, a skateboard, a scooter or any other manually propelled wheeled vehicle. This law also applies to passengers who are 16 or younger. Q: What’s an e-bike? A: Massachusetts state law defi nes an electric bicycle or e-bike as a bicycle or tricycle ASKS | SEE PAGE 16 eligibility include your mother’s home if it’s valued under $713,000 (this limit is higher – up to $1,071,000 – in some states), her personal possessions and household goods, one vehicle, prepaid funeral plans and a small amount of life insurance. But be aware that while her home is not considered a countable asset to determine eligibility, if she can’t return home, Medicaid can go after the proceeds of her house to help reimburse her nursing home costs, unless a spouse or other dependent relative lives there. (There are some other exceptions to this rule.) After qualifying, all sources of your mother’s income such as Social Security and pension checks must be turned over to Medicaid to pay for her care, except for a small personal needs allowance – usually between $30 and $160. You also need to be aware that your mother can’t give away her assets to qualify for Medicaid faster. Medicaid offi - cials will look at their fi nancial records going back fi ve years (except in California which has a 30-month look-back rule) to root out suspicious asset transfers. If they fi nd one, her Medicaid coverage will be delayed a certain length of time, according to a formula that divides the transfer amount by the average monthly cost of nursing home care in their state. So, for example, if your mom lives in a state where the average monthly nursing home cost is $8,000 and she gave away cash or other assets worth $160,000, she would be ineligible for benefi ts for 20 months ($160,000 divided by $8,000 = 20). Spousal Protection Medicaid also has special rules (known as the community spouse resource allowance) for married couples when one spouse enters a nursing home, and the other spouse remains at home. In these cases, the healthy spouse can keep one half of the couple’s assets up to $154,140 (this amount varies by state), the family home, all the furniture and household goods and one automobile. The healthy spouse is also entitled to keep a portion of the couple’s monthly income – between $2,465 and $3,854. Any income above that goes toward the cost of the nursing home recipient’s care. What about Medicare? Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors 65 and older, and some younger people with disabilities, does not pay for long-term care. It only helps pay up to 100 days of rehabilitative nursing home care, which must occur after a three-day hospital stay. For more information, contact your state Medicaid office. You can also get help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see ShipHelp.org), which provides free counseling on Medicare and Medicaid issues Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. ior
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