Medicaid Annuity Planning: How Married Couples Can Protect $150,000+ from Nursing Home Costs
Facing nursing home costs of $9,000–$15,000 per month? Medicaid annuity planning offers a powerful, legal strategy that allows married couples to protect $150,000 or more in assets while still qualifying for Medicaid coverage.
In this video, estate planning attorney Harry Margolis, author of Get Your Ducks in a Row, explains how Medicaid-compliant immediate annuities work—and why Medicaid annuity planning can prevent families from losing their life savings to long-term care costs.
🔑 KEY POINTS
Why Medicaid forces a spend-down to $2,000 for the nursing home spouse
How Medicaid annuity planning protects assets for the healthy spouse
How immediate annuities convert countable assets into protected income
Why the 5-year lookback rule does NOT apply to properly structured annuities
Which assets count—and which don’t—under Medicaid rules
Why gifting assets to children can trigger severe Medicaid penalties
The critical rules an annuity must follow to qualify under Medicaid annuity planning
How retirement accounts create hidden tax traps during spend-down
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – The Medicaid spend-down crisis
1:15 – What is an immediate annuity?
3:22 – How Medicaid annuity planning protects $150K+
5:40 – The 5-year lookback rule explained
7:18 – Countable vs. non-countable assets
9:45 – Single vs. married Medicaid strategies
11:30 – Costly mistakes to avoid
13:15 – Why you need a LOCAL elder law attorney
💰 THE BOTTOM LINE
With proper Medicaid annuity planning, the healthy spouse can maintain financial stability through guaranteed income while Medicaid covers nursing home costs. Get it wrong, and families risk losing everything.
⚠️ IMPORTANT
Medicaid rules vary by state. This video is for general information only. Always consult a qualified elder law attorney in your state before implementing Medicaid annuity planning strategies.