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Home » Nursing Home Lawyers Address Rising Costs

Nursing Home Lawyers Address Rising Costs

April 21, 2016 by Stephen Unsworth

Nursing home lawyers help people to plan for the possibility that they will some day need to spend time in a nursing home. While most people dream of living out their golden years in their own homes in perfect health, this is not the reality for too many seniors. Dementia, a stroke, or other medical conditions could necessitate round-the-clock nursing care. Some seniors also simply become too old to live alone and need help with routine activities of daily living, which a nursing home can provide. nursing home lawyers

Unfortunately, nursing homes are costly and expenses are continuously rising. This means that if you end up needing to spend time in a nursing home, the assets that you have worked hard to acquire during your working life could be spent on the monthly cost of nursing care. It doesn’t take long for an entire nest egg to be depleted when you’re paying thousands of dollars a month for nursing services, and your loved ones could be left with no family legacy if you spend months or years in a nursing facility.

Many people don’t want to lose their life savings because they have to go into a nursing home. As a result, turning to nursing home lawyers is common. Attorneys with experience in helping clients to plan for nursing home cost coverage can help you to protect yourself from rising costs so you can ensure that you are able to get care and still leave an inheritance for your family.  Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC has extensive experience with helping clients avoid nursing home care expenses, so call us as soon as you can to get help protecting your finances.

Nursing Home Costs High in Vermont

Vermontbiz.com reported that the cost of both care in an assisted living facility and the cost of in-home care in Vermont exceeds the national average cost. Unfortunately, these costs have increased in Vermont over the past several years. Between 2004 and 2008, there was a 19 percent increase over five years, according to Business Wire. This trend towards rising costs has continued, and a 2010 report revealed Vermont had some of the highest home care costs in the nation.

The Gensworth 2015 Cost of Care Survey indicated the median annual rate for a home health aid was $50,336 and the median annual rate for a nursing home in Vermont was $102,018 for a semi-private room.  Very few people can afford to pay bills at this level, even briefly.

Unfortunately, there are few options available.  You can buy long-term care insurance, but this is costly- especially if you are older. Furthermore, not every longterm care insurance policy provides the coverage that it promised or will pay for the full level of nursing care that you need.   Most private insurance companies aren’t going to cover nursing home care on an ongoing basis and neither will Medicare- although it may be possible to get some coverage if discharged from a hospital and in need of rehabilitation services on a temporary basis.

The fact that it is difficult or impossible to buy insurance to prepare for the possibility of going into a nursing home can be both frustrating and frightening.  The good news is, many people turn to attorneys to help them fight financial loss that could result from the rising cost of nursing home care in Vermont.  Nursing home lawyers can help clients to create a strategic plan to protect and shield their assets while still qualifying for Medicaid benefits. Medicaid is intended to provide health services to low-income individuals, but Medicaid has become one of the primary sources of nursing home payments within the United States.

Nursing home lawyers can help you to qualify for Medicaid without spending down your assets, but you need to take action and speak with an attorney well before you actually need nursing home care if you want to get the most protection possible for your assets.

How Nursing Home Lawyers Can Help

Montpelier nursing home lawyers can help you to get Medicaid to pay for nursing care without spending down assets by assisting with the creation of a Medicaid trust.  Your attorneys will also help you to take other necessary steps as part of a comprehensive Medicaid plan so you can get coverage for nursing care sooner.

To learn more, join us for a free seminar or contact us to get personalized advice about how you can plan ahead to reduce the risk of losing your nest egg due to rising nursing home costs. You can give us a call at (802) 879-7133 or contact us online today so we can get started on protecting your future.

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Stephen Unsworth
Stephen Unsworth
Stephen A. Unsworth is admitted to practice in both Vermont and Maine, and has more than 30 years of experience in estate planning and business law. His mission is to provide quality estate planning services, including assistance with Living Trusts, Wills, Medicaid Planning, Probate, Trust Administration, Powers of Attorney, Special Needs Planning, and Family Limited Partnerships.
Stephen Unsworth
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