• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Scott P. Schomer Certified As Specialist In Estate Planning, Trust And Probate Law
    • Trust and Probate Litigation: Verdicts and Settlements
  • Services
    • Estate Planning
    • Probate
    • Trust Administration
    • Trust, Probate and Estate Litigation
    • Family-Owned Businesses
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Loss of a Loved One
    • Power of Attorney
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Young Families
  • Probate
    • Is Probate Always Necessary In California?
    • Probate & Estate Planning Savings Calculator
    • Probate Administration
    • Probate Code 850 Petitions
    • Probate Disputes
    • Probate In California
    • Probate Laws
    • Probate Litigation
    • Why Hire A Probate Attorney
  • Elder Law
    • Conservatorship
    • Coping with Alzheimer’s
    • Estate Planning
  • Resources
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medi-Cal Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
    • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning Articles
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
        • Advanced Estate Planning
        • Basic Estate Planning
        • Estate Planning for Niches
        • Trust Administration
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Special Needs Planning Can Protect Benefits
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Free Seminars
      • Webinars
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Advance Health Care Directives
      • Asset Protection
      • California Adult Conservatorship
      • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning & Remarriage
      • Frequently Asked Questions For Families Without An Estate Plan
      • In-Home Elder Care
      • IRA Inheritance Planning
      • IRA & SECURE Act
      • Irrevocable Trust
      • Last Will and Testament
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Living Trust
      • Probate
      • Special Needs Planning
      • Trusts
      • Trust Administration
      • Wills
    • Newsletters
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Presentations
    • Published Book
    • Trust Administration & Probate Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Communities We Serve
    • Los Angeles County
      • Bellflower
      • Cerritos
      • El Segundo
        • El Segundo Probate Resources
      • Hawthorne
      • Inglewood
      • Long Beach
        • Long Beach Elder Resources
        • Long Beach Probate Resources
      • Manhattan Beach
      • Playa del Rey
      • Santa Monica
      • Westchester
        • Westchester Elder Resources
        • Westchester Probate Resources
    • Orange County
      • Anaheim
      • Buena Park
      • Cypress
      • Fountain Valley
      • Garden Grove
      • Huntington Beach
        • Huntington Beach Elder Resources
        • Huntington Beach Probate Resources
      • Los Alamitos
        • Los Alamitos Probate Resources
      • Rossmoor
      • Stanton
      • Seal Beach
      • Westminster
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
  • Videos

Schomer Law Group, Los Angeles Estate Planning and Elder Law and Elder Law Attorneys

Schomer Law Group, Los Angeles Estate Planning and Elder Law and Elder Law Attorneys

Connect With Us Today (310) 337-7696

Attend a Free Event
Home » Elder Law » Medi-Cal Assistance with Hospice Care

Medi-Cal Assistance with Hospice Care

November 11, 2016Elder Law

Medi-Cal assistance For some families, there may come a time when you need to consider whether a loved one would benefit from hospice care. Hospice care focuses on caring, instead of curing, medical ailments and providing end-of-life care, most often within the patient’s home. In many cases, it will be the patient’s friends and family who will serve as the primary caregivers and decision makers with regard to the care of their terminally ill loved one. Members of the hospice team usually make regular visits to evaluate the patient and provide additional medical care or services as required. Fortunately, hospice care is covered under different Medi-Cal assistance programs.

Have a plan for paying for Medi-Cal assistance hospice care

You can pay for hospice care in a variety of ways. The most common methods for covering the cost of hospice care services include Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurance, TRICARE (health benefit program for military personnel), private pay and charitable care programs. If you intend to seek Medi-Cal assistance to pay for hospice care, it is wise to have a plan. Your elder law attorney can help you start your Medicare planning.

You don’t have to be sick to plan ahead

A common mistake people make is believing that you must be sick to plan for future long-term care or hospice care. That is not always the case because serious injuries can also result in the need for long-term care or hospice care. According to reports, more than 2/3 of the over 65 population will need some form of long-term health care and, ultimately, will seek hospice care services.

For this reason, Medi-Cal planning is a good idea for everyone who could potentially need Medi-Cal assistance. In some situations, people are admitted to nursing homes as opposed to receiving in-home hospice care. There are different ways that someone’s situation could change making the need for hospice care an unexpected reality.

Why advance Medi-Cal planning can be useful

The purpose of Medi-Cal benefits is to help low-income residents in California pay for their medical care.  Since Medi-Cal is a needs-based program, its recipients must have less than $2,000 in total assets.  Consequently, the goal of Medi-Cal planning is to eliminate the need to exhaust all of your resources so you can become or remain eligible for benefits.

Also, if a Medi-Cal applicant gives away property just prior to submitting their application for Medi-Cal benefits, a transfer of property at that point could be seen as fraudulent. That would result in a delay of your benefits or even denial.  On the other hand, if you engage in proper Medi-Cal planning, you can avoid the appearance of fraudulent transfers.

What you need to know about qualifying for Medi-Cal

If you already qualify for Medi-Cal, then your coverage should include hospice care if you ever need it. There are certain groups of people who automatically qualify for Medi-Cal, such as SSI recipients, participants in the CalWORKs (California’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) program, people enrolled in California’s refugee programs, and children in the California foster care system.

Medi-Cal places limitations on income and assets

Another way many people qualify for Medi-Cal is based on their limited income.  Pursuant to the Affordable Care Act, the income limit for Medi-Cal is now 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). That equates to about $16,100 for an individual and $32,900 for a family of four.  While the Affordable Care Act has done away with the asset test for most Medi-Cal applicants, if you are elderly or disabled, you will still need to have minimal assets in order to qualify for Medi-Cal.  The limits are $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.  Not every asset will be counted towards that limit, however.  For instance, your residence will not be counted if your spouse still lives there.  Also one vehicle, personal belongings, and small burial or life insurance policies are typically not counted towards your asset limit.

Sharing the cost Medi-Cal

If you have surplus income preventing you from qualifying for Medi-Cal, but your health care expenses are still very high, including the cost of hospice care, then you may qualify for a program called Share of Cost (SOC) Medi-Cal. SOC Medi-Cal allows recipients to spend only a set portion of their income towards their medical expenses every month, while Medi-Cal pays the remainder of the incurred expenses. The portion that the Medi-Cal recipient pays is referred to as his or her share of cost.

Join us for a FREE seminar! If you have questions regarding California hospice care, or any other elder law issues, please contact the Schomer Law Group for a consultation, either online or by calling us at (310) 337-7696.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Scott Schomer, Estate Planning Attorney
Scott Schomer, Estate Planning Attorney
A graduate of Boston University School of Law, Scott P. Schomer is a frequent lecturer on estate planning and elder law issues, having discussed these important issues on local and national television. A seasoned courtroom advocate, Scott has obtained combined judgments and verdicts in excess of twenty-five million dollars for his clients. Scott has served as a member of the Los Angeles Superior Court Probate Volunteer Panel (PVP Attorney), Probate Settlement Panel and a Judge Pro Tempore. Scott's expertise has been recognized by his peers with such accolades as a life-time membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Five Star Wealth Manager designation, and repeated nominations as California Super Lawyer.
Scott Schomer, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Scott Schomer, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Things You May Need to Update in Your Estate Plan When You Enter Retirement - March 22, 2023
  • 10 Estate Planning Tips You Cannot Afford to Ignore - March 21, 2023
  • 7 Estate Planning Steps for the Beginner - March 16, 2023

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Los Angeles elder law attorneys
5 Things You Should Know About Elder Law
Los Angeles elder law attorneys
Educate Yourself for Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Los Angeles elder law attorneys
Why a Family Caregiver Is Not Always the Best Option
Los Angeles elder law attorneys
Does My Parent Need a Legal Guardian?
caregiver
Tips for Long-Distance Caregivers
Los Angeles elder law attorneys
Should I Purchase Long-Term Care Insurance?

Primary Sidebar

Schomer Law Group, Los Angeles Estate Planning, Probate, and Elder Law Attorneys

Schomer Law Group

Subscribe To Our Blog

Sign up using the form below to get our latest estate planning updates!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Testimonials

Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

We need to update our Living Trust and attended Schomer Law Group’s seminar. Afterwards we made an appointment and were impressed by the attention Scott Schomer and Liran Aliav gave to our case answering all questions and making suggestions how to minimize the estate tax. All the office staff is very friendly and we highly recommend Schomer Law Group.

Frank & Jutta R
Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

Mr. Schomer does an amazing job at explaining all the intricacies of establishing a trust. He and his team help you every step of the way so you always know what to expect and what you are preparing for. Best education you can get and the best gift you can give your family.

Paula M.
Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

We put off getting a trust for years. After attending a seminar with Scott Schomer we realized that the time had come to get a trust. We were given very good reasons for why we should get a trust. No pressure, just the plain facts. We are very relieved and happy to finally get our trust. Scott and Cesar were very knowledgeable, helpful and listened to our ideas of what we had to say. Any questions that we have now and in the future they are available to assist us to solve them. I recommend the Schomer Law Group and I wish we knew about them years ago.

Phillip G.
Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

When you’re presented with an invitation to attend in a mailer, you may have reservations, this was a truly gift!! My wife and I were educated and guided through the process of creating a family trust.
Both of our parents had attorney’s that “worked” with wills/trusts, but came up short. Fortunately, the Schomer Law Group was there! This is a group of attorney’s that only specialize in estate planning, law, and financial advice, so you know you’re getting expert and personalized advice. This is the best money we’ve ever spent!! Thank you!

Bob L.
Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

We knew we had to update our 10 year old ( 20 page ) trust. After several detailed meetings, Liran and Cesar produced a large ( 300 pages + ) highly detailed trust document that we have used to make sure our family estate is well managed and clearly understood.
They were all very helpful in answering myriad questions and explaining all the various options…

We would strongly recommend the Schomer Law Group to anyone with an estate of even modest means, to assure proper planning…

Bob S.
Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

We had contemplated updating our will and starting a trust for a number of years. After attending a talk by Scott Schomer we realized we were long overdue and the potential downside of not having our affairs in order was significant. Scott and his excellent team made the process simple and seamless. They were great listeners, addressed all our concerns and even pulled and processed all the paperwork from our financial institutions. If you are looking for assistance with estate planning, wills and trusts, we highly recommend Schomer Law Group.

Robert F.
Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

Very competent & informative – friendly atmosphere – ready to answer the most mundane questions – relaxed.

Joan S.
Client Review
July 29, 2020
    

Mr. Schomer was excellent in getting our family trust and estate affairs in order. My husband and I had put off doing this and Scott really made the process easy! He is very passionate in making sure his clients get all that they need and we really appreciated it. I would highly recommend him and look forward to the many years he will be available to assist our family.

Kim

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Office Address

El Segundo
2155 Campus Drive
Suite 250,
El Segundo, CA 90245
Phone: (310) 337-7696
Fax: 310-337-1277

See Larger Map Get Directions

Office Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Footer

  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Schomer Law Group

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

footer-logo
© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

Schomer Law Group

Attorney Advertisement.

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.