Do you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease? If so, you may be concerned about how to find and pay for necessary care, now and in the future as your loved one’s condition changes. You may find it necessary to consider a nursing home if someone in your circle of family and friends can no longer provide the kind of constant, consistent care that someone with Parkinson’s disease requires. It can be a heavy responsibility, and it may be the right decision to seek out a nursing home as a solution. Finding the funds to pay for a nursing home can, however, be tricky.
It may be possible to obtain assistance in paying for a nursing home for your loved one with Parkinson’s disease, especially as these facilities can be costly. Medicaid and Medicare, for instance, may provide financial assistance in this type of situation. While Medicare and Medicaid are different programs, each may contribute to paying for nursing home care for your loved one, but in a different way. Medicare is the health insurance program for adults over age 65. Many of the available Medicare plans pay up to 80% of the costs of all of the doctor’s visits and diagnostic tests that come prior to a Parkinson’s diagnosis, until the health insurance deductible is met. Medicare may then cover the remaining costs for the pre-diagnosis visits. This can make Medicare very useful for patients with Parkinson’s disease until the point at which a nursing home is necessary. Unfortunately, Medicare has a limited nursing home benefit, paying only for 100 days of care.
If your loved one qualifies for Medicaid, which will depend on income level and assets, Medicaid may pay nursing home costs for qualified individuals. An elder law attorney can help walk you through the process of obtaining Medicaid services for your loved one. You may apply for a Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver first. This waiver means that Medicaid will cover the cost of caring for your loved one within his or her own home, or in your home. Medicaid may also pay for a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) who may develop a long-term caregiving relationship with your loved one. Finally, Medicaid will cover the costs of a regular nursing home. It is important to go through this with an attorney, as they can advise you of whether Medicaid may seek to recoup costs from your loved one’s estate down the road.
For assistance in long-term care planning strategies, our office is here to help. Please contact us to arrange an appointment.