Nursing Homes in Montgomery County PA
There are over 50 nursing homes in Montgomery County PA. Deciding between different nursing homes in Montgomery County PA is a difficult task.
Different skilled nursing facilities offer slightly different amenities. Importantly, nursing facilities differ in quality. It is important to visit multiple nursing homes in Montgomery County PA before you choose one for your family member. Family members should visit the communities and spend some time in each facility before making a decision. Speak with staff and take a look around the community.
When you visit the nursing home, make sure to inspect the cleanliness of the facility. Does it look clean? Does it look well maintained? Is there enough lighting? You should review the reputation of the skilled nursing facility. If you know someone with a family member in the community you are considering, make sure to ask them about the services offered and if the staff is friendly and accommodating.
Paying for Nursing Homes in Montgomery County PA
Another important decision that must be made when your loved one requires Nursing Care is how to pay for the facility. The average cost of a skilled nursing home in Pennsylvania is $9,198.61 per month. When the cost of care is so high, families should consider the various ways to pay for the needed care.
Several options exist to pay for nursing homes in Montgomery County PA.
1) Long Term Care Insurance – long term care insurance can be an attractive way to help pay for a skilled nursing facility. Some policies pay $100-$200 per day towards the cost of care.
Unfortunately, very few people actually own long term care insurance. There are a couple reasons for this. Most people do not know long term care insurance exists. Even if they do, many people do not think they will ever need to use it. Most important, long term care insurance can be very expensive. The premiums can add up to many thousands of dollars over the years.
If your family member is about to enter a skilled nursing facility, it is too late to purchase long term care insurance.
2) Private Pay – most family’s private pay to cover the cost of the facility. This means that the entire nursing home bill is paid from fixed income like Social Security and Pensions and net worth. Private paying becomes expensive immediately. At $9,000.00 per month, net worth is depleted rapidly.
Eventually your family member will be eligible for Medicaid. But they will have spent down their entire net worth on care.
Many people think that spend down assets is the only way to become eligible for Medicaid. But this is not true.
3) VA Benefits – Aid and Attendance Pension can help offset the cost of expensive nursing home care. This option is better than private paying. The Department of Veterans Affairs pays qualified candidates anywhere from $1149-$2120 per month.
If your loved one is a wartime veteran, the spouse of a wartime veteran, or the surviving spouse of a wartime veteran, they may be a good candidate to receive valuable VA benefits.
Depending on the cost of the specific nursing home and the person’s fixed income, VA benefits may be able to effectively bridge the gap between income and cost of the facility.
The best way to pay for Nursing Home Care
The best way to pay for nursing homes in Montgomery County PA is through Medicaid Planning.
Medicaid planning can make a married person eligible almost immediately for Medicaid. This means that Mom and Dad do not have to spend down their life saving on expensive care. They can take advantage of planning techniques authorized by the State of Pennsylvania. These planning strategies are so powerful that your family member can preserve nearly 100 percent of their estate.
You should realize that the nursing home wants you to private pay forever. The nursing facility makes more money when their residents private pay. But a nursing home must take Medicaid if they are a Medicaid building.
A single or widowed nursing home resident can also take advantage of Pennsylvania Medicaid planning. Medicaid planning can save a single person approximately 50 percent of their assets.
You can take advantage of Pennsylvania Medicaid planning even if your family member is already a resident of a skilled nursing facility. There is no need to spend down all of the estate on nursing home care.
The laws of Pennsylvania permit valuable planning techniques that can save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Conclusion
There are several ways to pay for Nursing home care. Long term care insurance may not be an option. Private paying is unattractive and unnecessary.
Before your loved one spends down their entire net worth on costly medical expenses, we encourage you to contact VA Legal Team now for a free, no hassle case review.