Beginning April 1, 2023, states will be allowed to terminate Medicaid enrollment for individuals who are no longer eligible for benefits. Under the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), the federal Medicaid program has required states to maintain enrollment of nearly all Medicaid beneficiaries, as a condition of receiving increased federal funding during...
Spouse Dies, No Will
What happens when a spouse dies and there is no Will? There is a common, but mistaken, belief that when a spouse dies without leaving a Last Will, the surviving spouse inherits all of the deceased spouse’s estate. Community property laws in Texas and other states have historically provided broader property rights to spouses, particularly...
Title Insurance Scam
If you own a home in Texas, or may buy or sell one, this illuminating article on title insurance is essential reading, Entitled to profit: In Texas, title insurance is a "total scam" . Published by investigative news outlet, Texas Observer, the article exposes the title insurance business as a reverse Robinhood system, in which Texas...
Ending Medicaid’s Waiting Lists and Institutional Bias
The ARC
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
National Health Law Program
Funding Home Care for Elderly and Disabled
Tuesday, August 4th, is call-in day to push for dedicated funding of home and community-based services (HCBS) in the new COVID-19 relief legislation that is being negotiated in the U.S. Senate. This measure is desperately needed in Texas, where HCBS funding has been greatly reduced during the pandemic, resulting in long delays for individuals...
Home Care Alternatives to Nursing Facilities
As the spread of coronavirus threatens elderly and disabled residents of long-term care facilities, it is important to be informed about home-based alternatives to institutional care. Major outbreaks of coronavirus have occurred in long-term care facilities across the U.S., infecting staff as well as residents. Deaths from these outbreaks account for one-third to...
Coronavirus Spreading in Nursing Homes
The Texas Tribune reports that large outbreaks of the Covid-19 virus have occurred among residents and staff at Texas long-term care facilities in San Antonio, Lubbock, Texas City, and other cities. State regulators have asked facilities to report coronavirus cases, and to inform residents and their families of cases within the facility. While state...
Covid-19: Expanded Medicare Telehealth Services
"Telehealth & related services
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Medicare has temporarily expanded its coverage of telehealth services to respond to the current Public Health Emergency. These services expand the current telehealth covered services,...
The Long-Term Care Path from Medicare to Medicaid
Although Congress enacted Medicaid in the 1960s to provide health care coverage for the poor, Medicaid has become the primary pay source for nursing home and long-term care for the vulnerable elderly population. The majority of nursing home residents, or 80%, are age 65 or older and 62% of residents are covered by Medicaid,...
New Retirement Account Rules for the New Year
Happy 2020! Major changes to the federal retirement account rules were signed into law December 20, 2019, under the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act). Under the new rules, a retirement account can no longer be "stretched" and must be distributed within 10 years to non-spouse beneficiaries. This...