December 11, 2013

More and more senior Americans are forced to deal with the devastating diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Without planning, an Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be a devastating financial blow to an individual and his or her family. A recent article discusses how individuals can take control of their financial futures by planning now for the potential of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis later.

One potential way through which a person can get funds to pay for medical care is through Medicaid. Medicaid is a need-based program, so a person must meet certain income requirements to apply. If a person is above the threshold to receive Medicaid, he or she must spend-down assets in order to qualify. However, the spend-down of assets must be done carefully,with the oversight of an estate-planning attorney. Importantly, Medicaid employs a look back provision that will disqualify certain distributions of wealth if they occur within five years of a person’s application for Medicaid.

Often, Alzheimer’s patients require more care than Medicaid will cover. One option to fill the gap is through long-term care insurance. These insurance policies provide broad coverage for care received in a patient’s home, assisted living facility or nursing home. It is important to get long-term care insurance early, as rates go up as a person ages. Additionally, it may be difficult to find an insurer after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.