“The impact of Medicaid Estate Recovery”

“The impact of Medicaid Estate Recovery,” River Reporter

“Recognizing the need to address the inequities perpetuated by Medicaid Estate Recovery (MER) on marginalized communities, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has awarded a grant to the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Foundation to fund research, education and advocacy on this issue.”

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

Most people think of Medicaid as a program for the poor. But as I’ve pointed out in countless articles and reports, even the affluent qualify easily for Medicaid’s most expensive benefit, long-term care. The purpose of Medicaid estate recovery is to recoup some of that uncounted wealth after the Medicaid recipient and his or her family no longer need it. Estate recovery brings dignity back to the people who relied on public welfare for their LTC needs. At least they paid their own way in the end. So the idea of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation giving a grant to the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys to subvert Medicaid estate recovery is a tragic irony. NAELA is the trade association of the Medicaid planning attorneys who artificially impoverish aging Americans in order to qualify them for public assistance while short changing Medicaid to benefit non-needy heirs and taking a hefty cut for themselves. Without MER, those lawyers and their clients’ adult children make out like bandits.