No Increase in Spousal Allowances under Medicaid for 2010

The Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that there will be no change in the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) nor the Maximum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MaxMMNA) for 2010. These amounts are what a community spouse may keep in assets or is allowed to have as income, when the other spouse is in a nursing home on Medicaid. The figures are tied to inflation and adjusted yearly by CMS. Since the government inflation figures were less than zero for this year, there will be no adjustment for next year.

The CSRA for 2010 will be $109,560
The MaxMMNA for 2010 will be $2,739
The Minimum MMNA is adjusted in July each year and it remains $1,821.25 until July 2010.

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Knee Surgery OK for Octogenarians

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By Edward H. Adamsky “The potentially catastrophic consequences of becoming disabled and needing long-term care is arguably the gravest financial risk that older adults face” says an Urban Institute report. But, will it happen to you? And, if so, have you saved enough money to pay for it? These are the worries we all face as we age. This is a worry even for younger folks because an accident or illness could trigger the need for care at any time. The Urban Institute report shows that even though there are 6 million older Americans who need assistance with their activities of daily living, only about 500,000 folks are actually in nursing homes. Some use paid at-home care and many rely on unpaid family care. It seems that your chances of needing and paying for expenses care are relatively low. The stated average cost in the report is $138,000 for the ...

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