SENIORS
WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WAIT
OUR DOCTORS ARE
ON YOUR SCHEDULE. At Mount Sinai’s new Urgent Care Center you’ll receive exceptional treatment by board-certified emergency medicine physicians from one of the country’s top medical centers. We’re right here in the heart of the Upper West Side and ready to serve you with exceptional and compassionate care where and when you need it most.
URGENT CARE
UPPER WEST SIDE & MULTISPECIALTY PHYSICIANS
Daily – Evenings – Weekends On site X-ray and labs. Most insurances accepted. No appointment is necessary for urgent care–just walk in.
638 Columbus Avenue at 91st Street 212-828-3250 www.mountsinai.org/urgentcare
22 • WEST SIDE SP IR IT • M ay 3 1, 2 012
Myths About Medicaid You maY still qualifY, even if You think You make too much moneY By Roy Herndon Smith
I
f you need long-term home care but cannot afford it, you can usually apply for Community Medicaid to pay for it. However, many people who need Community Medicaid believe that they cannot qualify for it because of two myths.
If you have $1,400 of medical expenses, including home care, in a month, Medicaid will only pay for $900 of those expenses; you will be billed for $500. However, you can use a pooled income trust to protect your surplus income. Once Medicaid recognizes that you are disabled and are depositing your surplus into a pooled income trust, it will pay for all the covered medical expenses, including home care. You will not be billed for the surplus amount. You can have the trust use almost
Myth: I cannot become eligible for Medicaid because my assets are too high. Fact: Applicants for Community Medicaid in New York State must have less than $14,250 (for a single person) or $20,850 (combined assets for a married couple). An applicant’s residence does not count as an asset if the market value of the home, minus the amount mortgaged, is less than $750,000. Applicants with assets higher than the Medicaid limit can reduce them by spending them down to the limit or by transferring them to a trusted family the entire surplus to pay for your regular member or an irrevocable trust. If you have bills, such as rent and utilities. significant assets, you should consult with an elder care attorney about how best to New York City’s Human Resources Adreduce them. ministration can take a long time, someOnce you have reduced your assets to times over 3 months, to approve Medicaid under the limit, you are eligible to apply for and Medicaid home care. Applicants, espeMedicaid in the folcially when they have lowing month. surplus income and ApplicAtions for are using a pooled inMedicAid-covered Myth: I cannot get come trust, often face Medicaid because long-terM heAlth delays and difficulties my income is too and need expert help cAre tAke A long high. to deal with them. For tiMe to process, so these reasons, if you Fact: The Community Medicaid foresee needing MedApply before you income limits are icaid to pay for home AnticipAte needing it. care in the future, you $792 a month for a single person and should start preparing $1,159 for a married to apply now by callperson. ing a knowledgeable geriatric care manager You can still apply and qualify for Medor social worker. icaid if you have income over these limits. Medicaid treats such “surplus” or “excess” Roy Herndon Smith, Ph.D., is with Comincome as a deductible. For instance, if munity Geriatric Care (communitygeriyou are a single person with an income of atriccare@gmail.com), a subsidiary of $1,292 a month, you have a surplus of $500. Foremost Home Care.
NY Press.co m