How to Keep $150K+ While Qualifying for Medicaid Nursing Home Care

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.