Dealing with Medicaid is no easy matter. People come into Houston attorney Christina Lesher's office every day plagued by worries about where they can get assistance paying for nursing home care and home care.

First, you should know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is public health insurance, enjoyed by many, that pays for basic health care, including doctor's visits. However, Medicare only pays for long-term care for a very limited time period. Medicaid, on the other hand, can pay for long-term nursing home care, but requires beneficiaries to qualify income, resource and medically.

Placing a loved one in a nursing facility or planning for a loved one's placement in a nursing facility is a difficult and stressful experience. Many families mistakenly believe that their loved one has long-term care coverage under Medicare. They are shocked to learn that Medicare will pay for short-term care only in specific circumstances. Long-term care for nursing home can cost between $3,000 and $5,000 a month. Few families can afford this huge expense and many families look to Medicaid for financial assistance.

Texas Medicaid is a maze of confusing rules and regulations. Having a Houston Medicaid lawyer who is knowledgeable of the eligibility requirements and qualification techniques can make a nightmare situation manageable.

Below is a summary of the Texas Medicaid requirements:

Single individual:

• Income: $1,809
• Assets (not including exempt resources): $2,000
• The individual must also meet the medical necessity requirement.

Married Couple (one spouse living in the community):

• Income for spouse in nursing facility: $1,809
• Income for spouse at home: Can have unlimited monthly income
• Assets (not including exempt resources): The minimum a couple can protect is $19,908 and the maximum is $99,540
• The spouse residing in the nursing home must also meet the medical necessity requirement.

Married Couple (both spouses in the nursing facility):

• Combined allowable monthly income $3618
• Combined assets (not including exempt resources): $3,000
• Both spouses must also meet the medical necessity requirement.

Those of us at the Law Office of Christina Lesher, PC think of Medicaid as a jungle that we guide you through, from beginning to end.

The Law Office of Christina Lesher offers a full array of elder law services in the Houston, Texas area, serving residents of Houston and nearby communities such as Fort Bend, Galveston, and Sugar Land.

Harris County • Fort Bend County • Galveston County