Last Updated on January 24, 2021 by
Yes, you can. If you’re on SSI or your credit score is still fine enough to get a mortgage, you can buy the house without affecting your Medicaid. The only issue will be if you are buying the house in cash since the income limit for qualifying for Medicaid is barely enough to purchase a home.
If your Medicaid eligibility was based on circumstances such as medically needy, you could have enough money to buy a house. This eligibility criterion considers your obligation to cater to medical bills versus your income. If you qualify under this category, you can use the money you used in medical bills to buy your primary residence.
In some states, you can get mortgage assistance programs from the government. These programs aim at assisting first time home buyers who are on a low income. The programs have lower interest rates and help with deposits and closing costs. With such a program, you will get a house that you can comfortably pay for while still on Medicaid.
Buying a house in cash would mean that you either lied about your income or your income now surpasses the limit for getting Medicaid. You would have to explain how you can afford the down payment or a new mortgage to keep your Medicaid. If the mortgage for the house is out of line with the income you claimed, then you might be audited for fraud.
Will I Lose My Medicaid When I Buy A House?
It depends on how you bought the house. You will not lose Medicaid if you buy a house through a mortgage on Medicaid based incomes or when you buy your primary residence. However, if you have cash for the down payment, you may no longer qualify for medic aid. Another scenario is when you buy a house out of your benefit state or have a mortgage that’s not in line with the income you claimed; you risk losing your medic aid.
Medicaid Eligibility Criteria
Medicaid is a government program by both federal and state government that provides health coverage to children, seniors, pregnant women, and individuals with a disability in the U.S.A. it is the largest source of health coverage in the United States.
To be eligible for Medicaid, you must meet some general and financial requirements and be in the eligibility group. The general requirements for you to qualify for eligibility are that you should be:
1. a U.S citizen or meet certain immigration rules
2. a resident of the state you are applying in
3. have a social security number
4. be in the eligibility group: 65 years and above, the beneficiary of supplementary security income SSI, have a permanent disability, blind or pregnant, or be a child, parent, and caretaker of a child
5. some states also provide Medicaid to senior citizens with an income that is below 100% of the federal poverty level
The financial requirements for eligibility of Medicaid long-term care services are you to be either medically needy or fall under the special income level group. For you to be eligible for Medicaid, you must have limited income and assets.
The amount of income you should have for you to be eligible varies by state. Each state has different policies on the eligibility group they cover. When the states determine your financial eligibility for Medicaid, they will count your income from some sources. These sources include:
1. salaries
2. wages
3. pensions
4. dividends from bonds and stocks
5. interests from certificate of deposits or bank accounts
6. veteran benefits
7. disability payment, social society retirement, and other benefit payments
Income sources that are not counted include:
1. food stamps or any nutritional assistance
2. federal government housing assistance
3. home energy assistance
Medicaid counts payments that you are entitled to receive even if you don’t receive all of them. If you receive joint income with your spouse, such as rent, the states allocate half the amount to you and the other to your spouse.
Another way to be eligible for Medicaid in over 40 states is to fall under the special income level group. This group specifically aims at people who need long-term care services. To be eligible under this group, you need to meet the general requirements and be in a nursing home or institution for at least 30 consecutive days.
In this group, the income limit is higher compared to the others. The income limit for you to be eligible under the special income level group is up to $ 2130 per month. That is three times higher than the usual limit of $ 710 per month for those receiving SSI. However, the amount of assets that an individual can have is similar to the other avenues and is $ 2 000. If your state determines your eligibility for the special income level group, Medicaid pays for all the care you receive from the beginning of your stay at the nursing home. In some states, you can get long-term care while still living in your home.
In some instances, people who receive long-term care under the special income group are sometimes required to pay part of their nursing home cost. This is referred to as post -eligibility treatment of income. This is because when you are living at a nursing home, everything is provided for, and you have no living expenses. Therefore, the state deducts your bills, expenses, and allowance for personal needs from your income, and what is left is your share of cost. You will, therefore, have to pay this share to the nursing home.
To qualify for Medicaid under the medically needy category, you need to be in one of the 33 states covering this group. In these states, people with high medical expenses and high income are eligible for long-term care services. Medically needy people have too much income to qualify for Medicaid under other pathways but can spend down to their state income limits. When a person incurs the obligation to pay medical expenses in a way that they will spend down their income to reach their state limit, then that person is eligible for Medicaid.
As an example of how this works, if Mr. Joe has an income of $1200 and the limit for his state is $500, then his income is too high to qualify for Medicaid. This means that he has a spend-down amount of $700, which is the difference between his income and the state’s limit. If he incurs medical expenses of more than $700, Mr. joe can qualify for Medicaid as medically needy.
What You Need To Know About Medicaid Financial Asset Assessment
During the Medicaid application process, you will be required to provide documentation of all the assets you have. Some assets are counted to determine eligibility, while others are not. Some of the assets that are counted include:
1. stocks and bonds
2. savings accounts and checkings
3. certificates of deposits
4. property other than your primary residence
5. additional motor vehicles if you have more than one
assets that are not counted include:
1. your primary residence
2. household belonging and personal property
3. one motor vehicle
4. life insurance whose value doesn’t exceed $1500
5. assets held in specific kind of trusts
sometimes in some states, the value of your home equity is counted if it exceeds a certain amount. Mostly, if you have kids under 21 or if applying this rule causes undue hardship to you, then it doesn’t apply. There are other considerations for eligibility that are quite complex and will depend entirely on our situation and state.
What Is The Medicaid Estate Recovery?
This is a requirement by federal law for states to recover the amount of Medicaid spent on your behalf for long-term care services from your estate after you die. In this case, your estate refers to your home, personal property, and other assets that you owned.
Estate recovery happens after a Medicaid recipient who was 55 years and older or permanently institutionalized dies. Some estates are exempt from estate recovery, such as if the spouse is still alive.
Conclusion
Buying a house while still on Medicaid can be hard but not impossible; if you don’t have a primary residence and have a family, getting one is a good idea since it secures your family’s future.
If you are receiving long-term care at a nursing home and have no spouse or kids, buying a home may not make sense. This is because the state will still recover the house after your death. At the application stage, make sure you ask as many questions as you possibly can for you to get the most out of your Medicaid. We hope that this post was insightful to you as you seek long-term care.
