When it comes to senior care, more and more people are relying on Medi-Cal as their insurance to help cover their costs.
Medi-Cal–California’s Medicaid policy–is a publicly funded health insurance for those that have limited financial resources. This is not to be confused with Medicare, which is the publicly funded health insurance for senior citizens and disabled individuals. Medicaid is for those with low income, Medicare is for individuals that are no longer working because of age or disability.
It is possible to be eligible for both Medi-Cal and Medicare. Many seniors qualify for both. But despite the fact that there are similarities and some overlap, these two insurances cover things in a different way.
One of the big things to keep in mind is that Medicare doesn’t cover much when it comes to senior care. In California, Medi-Cal covers a lot more.
Don’t know whether or not you qualify for Medi-Cal? You can find out more information here. You can also get a lot of your questions answered here, too. However, if you’re unsure about something or are looking for more customized information regarding this, please reach out to someone with professional experience here.
Medi-Cal is not the only way to pay for senior care. However, as the demographics of the country change and as we deal with the financial situation within the U.S., it’s going to be more and more common to see people who rely heavily on Medi-Cal need more senior care services.
If you find yourself in this situation, there are a lot of options open to you. Medi-Cal has the ability to provide elderly individuals with limited resources with medical care which includes nursing home assistance. Medi-Cal will only cover nursing home costs if there is a physician that has authorized nursing home assistance. This really doesn’t come to light as an issue often, but it is worth noting that this is technically how California’s laws are written.
Medi-Cal can also pay for home care and home health care. Again, there needs to be a real need for this to be authorized but it can be done. This is a wonderful trend as nursing home costs can be incredibly expensive and intrusive upon the lives of seniors. In-home care and home health care are both a good way to both reduce costs and increase senior independence.
State laws and regulations are constantly changing. While California and a few other states have allowed home-based care to be covered by Medicaid, this isn’t universally accepted. Please familiarize yourself with your state’s regulations before counting on Medicaid coverage to help.
If you’re unsure of where to start, we would be happy to help. Senior care is tough–and paying for it can be stressful. We have years of experience on our side and would be happy to share that expertise with you. We also offer a free consultation so you don’t have to worry about tapping into your finances to get started. If you’d like to learn more about senior care and how to best pay for it, please feel free to reach out today.
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