The Bottom Line
Pros
- Offers a helpful glossary of often-confusing Medicaid eligibility terms.
- Explains the perspective of the applicant, as well as the perspective of the Medicaid worker.
- Provides information about other Medicaid programs, such as aging waiver programs.
Cons
- Does not include a specific section on nursing home Medicaid in the context of Alzheimer's disease.
- Contains some minor typographical errors.
Description
- Taking the Mystery out of Nursing Home Medicaid is available as an e-book or as a spiral-bound booklet.
- The author, Sharon Johnson, BSW, owns Case Management Solutions, LLC.
- The booklet is one in a series about eldercare (others cover Medicare, advance directives, and nursing home placement).
Guide Review - Taking The Mystery Out Of Nursing Home Medicaid - All About Medicaid Eligibility
In Taking the Mystery out of Nursing Home Medicaid, Sharon Johnson, BSW, offers a compelling reason to learn about Medicaid eligibility, even if you don't like how much Medicaid costs the country: "The Medicaid program pays for actual people to be cared for in their old age, which in turn pays the salaries of nursing home employees in the community. These employees pay income taxes, property taxes and sales taxes that benefit the community, and shop at local businesses that employ other local people," she writes. In other words, everything's connected, including Medicaid and the local economy.In this 34-page booklet, Johnson succinctly explains how nursing home Medicaid works and what eligibility specialists look for when they evaluate Medicaid applications. Topics include:
- Overview of Medicaid eligibility
- Elder law (and why elder law attorneys are so valuable)
- Medicaid in simple terms
- How to prepare a Medicaid application
- Red flags that eligibility specialists look for in a Medicaid application
- Other Medicaid programs
She also provides a helpful glossary of nursing home Medicaid terms.
For families dealing with Alzheimer's disease, it would have been helpful to offer a section on how the disease can cause caregivers to adjust financial arrangements that, in turn, can affect Medicaid eligibility.
Still, this is an excellent resource for caregivers and individuals recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's who are planning ahead and preparing for the possibility of nursing home care. Johnson recommends that families hire an elder law attorney at least 10 years before they think nursing home care will be necessary to ensure that their chances for Medicaid approval are maximized.
