“Marc Hebert: NH among states with Long-term Care Partnership policies” by Mark A. Hebert, New Hampshire Union Leader

“Though Medicaid covers long-term care expenses for some people, the program has very strict eligibility requirements when it comes to distributing benefits. … On the financial side of the eligibility criteria, certain asset and income limits must be met. Individuals must ‘spend down’ their assets in order to become eligible. Keep in mind that states set some of their own eligibility requirements and that states have the right to be reimbursed from a recipient’s estate for any Medicaid payments made on his or her behalf. To address the shortage in long-term care funding, more states are asking people to plan for their own long-term care needs. … Long-term Care Partnership policies, which are similar to traditional long-term care insurance policies, can be part of the solution.”

 

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):

Good to see journalistic coverage of the LTC Partnership program, but this piece overlooks the reason partnerships have underperformed by discounting the ease with which middle-class people qualify for Medicaid LTC benefits. For a full explanation, see The Long-Term Care Partnership Program:  Why It Failed and How to Fix It (2001).