The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is proposing a policy change that would raise the asset limit for Medicaid qualification from $2,000 to almost $9,500 for individuals, and $3,000 to just over $14,000 for couples.
“The reason Medicaid’s so important for a program like mine is that long-term care across the country and in Michigan is very, very expensive.”
Sarah Milanowski is Enrollment and Marketing Manager at LifeCircles PACE, a Muskegon- and Holland-based in-home care service for seniors. She says Medicare doesn’t cover long-term care services, making Medicaid coverage all the more important.
“And most people wind up using all of their resources to pay for that costly care, and then they turn to the state, Medicaid, which does cover that type of care, once people have limited assets and limited income.”
Past asset limits have been in place in Michigan since 1974. Raising the limit grants more seniors access to Medicaid while allowing them to maintain a nest egg for emergencies.
“I think that this is the government’s way of saying, ‘We want to invest in less costly care and help people access the right care sooner to avoid that more expensive care.’ And this was one really big hurdle keeping people from doing that.”
If approved, the proposal would take effect February 1st.
