8 mo. ago • 98%

State Medicaid offices target dead people’s homes to recoup their health care costs

apnews.com State Medicaid offices target dead people’s homes to recoup their health care costs

Many Americans rely on Medicaid when fighting diseases. But there's a catch. Often, states try to recoup the costs after the recipients die.

As Salvatore LoGrande fought cancer and all the pain that came with it, his daughters promised to keep him in the white, pitched roof house he worked so hard to buy all those decades ago.

So, Sandy LoGrande thought it was a mistake when, a year after her father’s death, Massachusetts billed her $177,000 for her father’s Medicaid expenses and threatened to sue for his home if she didn’t pay up quickly.

“The home was everything,” to her father said LoGrande, 57.

But the bill and accompanying threat weren’t a mistake.

Rather, it was part of a routine process the federal government requires of every state: to recover money from the assets of dead people who, in their final years, relied on Medicaid, the taxpayer-funded health insurance for the poorest Americans.

This month, a Democratic lawmaker proposed scuttling the “cruel” program altogether. Critics argue the program collects too little — roughly 1% — of the more than $150 billion Medicaid spends yearly on long-term care. They also say many states fail to warn people who sign up for Medicaid that big bills and claims to their property might await their families once they die.

News @lemmy.world State Medicaid offices target dead people’s homes to recoup their health care costs

27 comments

How am I just learning this is a fucking thing. Since when is Medicare a fucking loan. What is wrong with this fucking country? We are straight up fucking evil.

94
- This is actually Medicaid, not Medicare. Medicaid is often used to cover premiums and copays for Medicare for lower income individuals including people dealing with cancer and such though.
  
  49
  
  ah I did type the wrong one, but still...ive never heard of it being treated as a loan like this and I am shocked this isn't more common knowledge.
  
  25
  
  Right, but this still makes it a loan. Which I don’t really understand. I thought Medicaid is a “welfare” program designed to fill in gaps in health care for those who can’t afford insurance.
  
  It is ridiculous how overcomplicated healthcare is in the US.
  
  20
- It's more evil than you think. There are all sorts of ways to protect assets from Medicaid. Of course, it's only worth doing when there are considerable assets. So basically if you have nothing, Medicaid costs nothing. If you have a little, Medicaid takes it all. If you have a lot, Medicaid will likely take a tiny fraction of your assets. And if you're caught off guard, it takes everything.
  
  32
  
  You don't inherit debts or crimes that's fucked
  
  1
- Since when is ~~Medicare~~ Medicaid a fucking loan
  
  12
- What The Fuck! They take Medicare taxes out of every one of my paychecks. Have for my entire adult life. A program I can't qualify for. And now your telling me it's a fucking loan? No fucking way I pay for it I should get it and no fucking way they getting my house or anything.
  
  I swear they better hope I never get a terminal disease with plenty of time before I die.
  
  When revolution starting we can't continue living this way.
  
  5
I personally been learning this lesson recently. Everything you own every single thing should have some kind of transferable or payable on death added to it. Every car every house every bank account every brokerage account Etc..

21
- That's the way it is in Canada, but it's easier on your family if you have a will. Otherwise it's a mess.
  
  The best thing is all your debts (in your name only) are wiped clean. Anything with spouse's names on them (mortages, shared credit cards, etc) gets transferred to the surviving spouse.
  
  And although our healthcare is in shambles atm (because our provincial premiers are selfish, power-hungry dumbfucks) very few Canadians face the soul-crushing heathcare costs Americans do.
  
  I feel for you all. I can't imagine having to choose to live or die based on how much I have in the bank.
  
  14
I have two friends whose mom/grandma had to sell their houses before they had coverage for nursing home. I have my name on my dads so I at least get half.

12
- You should look into putting it in a trust. When someone dies and leaves you an asset the tax basis resets. In other words, if you sell it afterwards, you only pay tax in the increase in value after the death. If you're already part owner, the tax basis on the part you owned starts when you became part owner. Having a lawyer set up the appropriate trust is cheaper than you'd probably think.
  
  14
They have been doing that by default. I am elder-caring 4 my mom and don't expect to inherit her house; as she is declining mentally and I'm not trained for full care.

80% of medical spending is on the last two years of life. -- a thing I heards.

9
- The ONLY way to protect the asset is to sell it and put the money in an qualified annuity. Medicaid cant touch qualified annuities and you will get what is left after she passes. There is no way to protect the house itself.
  
  6
  
  I believe there is a time limit to do that, like 5 years before applying for Medicaid. I am not certain, can't look for the specific link ATM.
  
  2
  
  thanks. I'll look into That.
  
  1
I don't see why this is so outrageous. Why should someone with tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of assets receive free medical care?

-51
- Because we pay taxes our entire fucking lives to still have EXTRA stolen from us for "healthcare."
  
  EVERY OTHER MAJOR DEVELOPED COUNTRY HAS SINGLE PAYER.
  
  Why are you people so fucking shortsighted and fucking selfish? You're enabling the Republican thieves to bleed us dry because you aspire to be as greedy as they are. Absolutely insane.
  
  34
- It's doesn't matter your wealth, healthcare should be free.
  
  33
  
  But it's currently isn't
  
  -2
- Ideally because everyone should receive free healthcare. Everyone.
  
  21
- A house is not an asset if it's the one place you can live cost-free in retirement.
  
  We all pay into the system with our taxes - including someone who earned enough to afford a home. Why should anyone not benefit from the taxes they paid?
  
  Anyone can be sick and in long-term care as they age, including ourselves. As we age, we may not be able to keep working. Those costs add up fast in our healthcare system. And we don't get to make those choices up front for ourselves or our families. The bills come months if not years later. No one says what you owe until it's too late. Why should anyone pay a cost they weren't told would be coming?
  
  I can't argue that the way the US provides many services based off wealth is fair - I believe we should have a universal system that we all benefit from. Why should someone making less than me get better services than me because my job offers worse insurance than they get? We should all benefit.
  
  But, if the choice is that no one benefits or that of our current system. I'll choose our current system. Because I don't know if I'll be the one on the other side 40 years from now.
  
  15
  
  Just playing devil’s advocate here… Medicaid doesn’t take your house until after you die. Not saying I think it’s a good practice
  
  -5
- We should all receive free health care at the point of care
  
  10
- The problem is that with all of these efforts to take houses to pay for the card, it only covers 1% of the cost. Is it really worth it at that point? Is it worth it to take homes that could benefit families who could otherwise not be able to obtain a home?
  
  1

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