Why Plan Ahead?
No law requires anyone to plan, and everyone who meets the rules is equally entitled to Medicaid. But long-term care is expensive: a year in a nursing home often costs more than $100,000. Families who learn the rules early usually have more choices than families who start during a crisis.

Risks of Not Planning

• Spending savings faster than necessary because exempt assets weren’t recognized.
• Making gifts or transfers that cause a penalty under the 60-month look-back.
• Missing the protections that let a spouse at home keep income and assets.
• Having no one with legal authority to act if a person can no longer manage their own affairs.
• Not knowing how estate recovery may affect the home after death.

What a Will Does and Doesn’t Do

A will says who receives your property after you die. It doesn’t keep assets from being counted for Medicaid, and property that passes through probate may be subject to estate recovery. Documents such as a durable power of attorney and a health care proxy let someone you trust act for you if you can’t.

Looking at the Whole Financial Picture

Medicaid looks at income and countable assets, and each state applies its own limits. Listing what you own, how it is titled and what income you receive makes it easier to see where you stand. Our state pages list the 2026 limits.

Where can I get free answers to my questions?

Medicaid Answers is a free educational resource. Have a question? Send it through our contact form and we’ll point you in the right direction.