When Medicaid attacks the family home

Federal law requires states to seek reimbursement for property, usually homes, of people who die after receiving long-term care benefits. /p>< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The letter came from the state Department of Social Services in July 2021. It expressed condolences for the loss of the recipient's mother, who had died a few weeks earlier at 88 years.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">It then explained that the deceased had incurred Medicaid debt of more than $77,000 and provided instructions on how to repay the money. "I was stunned," said the woman's 62-year-old daughter.

At first, she thought the letter might be some kind of scam. This is not the case.

She asked not to be identified because the case is unresolved and she does not want to jeopardize her chances of 'get a reduction in the bill. The New York Times reviewed the documents supporting her account.

The girl moved into the family's Midwest home years earlier, when her mother, widowed and suffering from vascular dementia, began to need assistance.

Her mother was well insured, with Medicare, a supplemental private “Medigap” policy and long-term care insurance. The only reason she signed up for Medicaid was because she enrolled in a state program that allowed her daughter to receive modest payments for her care.

But that triggered additional monthly charges through a Medicaid managed care organization, and now the state wants that money back.

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