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Editorial Highlights

Longer-form articles on senior care finance, decision-making, and what Medicaid actually pays for. Companion reading to our state-by-state Medicaid guides.

Long-Term Care Medicaid Application: Avoiding the Paperwork Denial
PUBLISHED 2026-11-11

Long-Term Care Medicaid Application: Avoiding the Paperwork Denial

Nursing home Medicaid is often lost on the caseworker's document requests, not the asset test. How to meet the deadlines and what a denial costs from 2027.

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Does Medicaid Pay for Assisted Living When Savings Run Out?
PUBLISHED 2026-11-04

Does Medicaid Pay for Assisted Living When Savings Run Out?

Medicaid pays for assisted living care only if the facility agrees to take it. What to ask before the money runs out, and when a nursing home is safer.

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Does Medicaid Pay for Memory Care? Yes, Except the Room
PUBLISHED 2026-10-22

Does Medicaid Pay for Memory Care? Yes, Except the Room

Medicaid pays a nursing home's whole bill but only the care half of memory care. Why the cheaper memory care unit can cost your family more each month.

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Medicaid's 2028 Home Equity Limit: The States Taking an Immediate Cut
PUBLISHED 2026-10-09

Medicaid's 2028 Home Equity Limit: The States Taking an Immediate Cut

From 2028 Medicaid's home equity limit is capped at $1 million with no inflation adjustment. Nine states, DC and California lose ground on day one.

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Day 101: What Happens When Medicare's Nursing Home Benefit Runs Out
PUBLISHED 2026-09-27

Day 101: What Happens When Medicare's Nursing Home Benefit Runs Out

Most families don't think about Day 101 until they're on Day 95. Here's what actually happens when Medicare's nursing home benefit ends — and the decisions you need to make before it does.

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How to Pay for Nursing Home Care With Social Security (State-by-State Math)
PUBLISHED 2026-09-19

How to Pay for Nursing Home Care With Social Security (State-by-State Math)

When your parent qualifies for Medicaid nursing home coverage, their Social Security income goes almost entirely to the facility. Here's the exact math for every state.

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Medicaid Redetermination: Do 6-Month Renewals Hit Seniors?
PUBLISHED 2026-09-04

Medicaid Redetermination: Do 6-Month Renewals Hit Seniors?

The 2027 move to twice-yearly Medicaid redeterminations skips seniors on long-term care — but a missed annual renewal is still how most of them lose coverage.

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How to Read Nursing Home Ratings After 2026's CMS Changes
PUBLISHED 2026-08-27

How to Read Nursing Home Ratings After 2026's CMS Changes

Three CMS changes since July 2026 moved nursing home star ratings without the care changing. How to read the data now — and the red flags that still hold.

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Medicaid Retroactive Coverage Is Shrinking in 2027
PUBLISHED 2026-08-19

Medicaid Retroactive Coverage Is Shrinking in 2027

In 2027 a federal cut trims retroactive Medicaid for nursing-home care from three months to two. The lost month costs far more in some states than others.

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When In-Home Care Costs More Than a Nursing Home
PUBLISHED 2026-08-12

When In-Home Care Costs More Than a Nursing Home

Aging at home is cheaper than a facility only up to a break-even number of paid care hours — often just 3–4 a day. Here's the math, by state.

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Medicaid Spend-Down by State: Why It Won't Lower Your Bill
PUBLISHED 2026-08-05

Medicaid Spend-Down by State: Why It Won't Lower Your Bill

Medicaid spend-down doesn't cut what you pay for care — it only unlocks eligibility. In about half the states there's no income spend-down at all. Here's the trust that replaces it.

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Can You Switch Nursing Homes on Medicaid? The Open Bed Is the Real Test
PUBLISHED 2026-07-29

Can You Switch Nursing Homes on Medicaid? The Open Bed Is the Real Test

You have a federal right to move nursing homes on Medicaid. The wall families hit isn't eligibility — it's finding an open Medicaid bed. How the transfer actually works.

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