Turned Down for Medicaid? We Know Where Your Money Went!

If you’re reading this blog post, you probably know a little something about Medicaid. That it’s a federal program but administered by the states. That it’s a hugely expensive and cumbersome system. Not for everyone, however! If you happen to be a Russian diplomat in New York, apparently you can milk the Medicaid system for… Read More »

Mad Men Tackles Dementia

As an avid fan of Mad Men, and an elder law attorney, the way the show dealt with one of the character’s senility brought the show right into the present. Back in the ‘60s, so many women were stay at home mothers. When a parent, or an -in-law started needing more help, it was these… Read More »

Spousal Refusal In New York — Just Say No?

First, the good news: Despite another attempt by the New York governor to eliminate spousal refusal from this year’s budget for community-based care, the budget was passed by the legislature this week without this change. What Is Spousal Refusal, And Why Is It Important? Let’s say your dad is in a nursing home, but your… Read More »

Elder Law: It's about people, not just money.

Sometimes when attorneys talk about elder law and Medicaid planning, they get caught up in the technical details of the various rules and strategies: Medicaid planning trusts; the look-back period, spend-down plans, the half-a-loaf strategy, the penalty period, and on and on. It’s easy to forget sometimes that we’re talking about human beings — people… Read More »

Medicaid: The Middle Class Safety Net

As this article in today’s New York Times points out, Medicare is getting the bulk of the attention in this election campaign, while more attention needs to be focused on the problem of Medicaid. “Medicaid has long conjured up images of inner-city clinics jammed with poor families. Its far less-visible role is as the only… Read More »

Does Size Matter?

Does the size of your brain predict the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease?  One study released December 2011 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, finds that smaller brain size has a high correlation with the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.    Technically, the researchers found that the thickness of regions of… Read More »