7 Myths About LTC | Set the record straight, Seven common myths about LTC
With this information, you’ll be in a better position to help protect yourself, your family and your future.
Myth: “A government program will take care of me.”
Fact: Government programs are difficult to qualify for and have very specific requirements for LTC services. A number of public programs — including Medicare, Medicaid and veterans’ services — may help pay for some LTC services in certain circumstances. Yet each program has specific rules that define which services are covered, when benefits are paid, who can qualify and the dollar amounts individuals must pay on their own. When people are able to qualify for Medicaid and the program pays their LTC costs, there’s a catch. Federal law requires states to recover the money Medicaid spent on their behalf from their estate after they pass away.2 Probate law dictates what states will include in estates, but typically this will include real and personal property, such as a home. This could force a person’s spouse to sell their home, or Medicaid could put a lien on the house in the amount of the LTC expenditures.
