MassHealth: Medicaid in Massachusetts

by: Brian E. Barreira, Esq.

Most Living Trusts Sold at Seminars Don’t Work for MassHealth Purposes

Often overlooked in the estate tax planning process is that a funded trust that avoids probate is often considered available by MassHealth (i.e., Medicaid) to pay for the surviving spouse’s nursing home care. Thus, funding a revocable trust for the sole purpose of avoiding probate can place a surviving spouse in a worse position than if probate avoidance had not been accomplished.

Irrevocable Trusts Also Allow Capital Gains Tax Planning

Irrevocable trusts are subject to a 5-year lookback period, and can sometimes place an elderly person in a worse position when applying for MassHealth than other types of gifts. Since an irrevocable trust is effective only if its principal cannot be distributed to the person who established it, attempting to preserve the use of the principal to pay for home care or assisted living is not possible. An irrevocable trust can be drafted, however, to allow principal distributions from the trust to others who can opt to pay for the home care or assisted living. If the irrevocable trust triggers the grantor trust rules as to the trust principal, such as by the reservation of a special power of appointment, the grantor can maintain use of the $250,000.00 capital gains exclusion upon a sale by the trust.

Long-Term Care Insurance Policies Can Preserve the Home

If a person ever received any type of MassHealth benefits, a post-death estate recovery claim for reimbursement can be made against the person’s probate estate. Under current MassHealth regulations, a 2-year, $125.00 per day long-term care insurance policy can exempt the home from post-death estate recovery for MassHealth long-term care (but not community care) benefits. This regulation replaced the prior requirement of $50.00 per day, which was grandfathered for individual long-term care insurance policies issued before March 15, 1999.

Immediate Annuities As a Last-Minute Option for the At-Home Spouse

The purchase of an immediate annuity can place a community spouse in a worse financial position than going through the MassHealth appeal process. In cases where the MassHealth appeal process would not preserve all assets, an immediate annuity can help, but the MassHealth appeal process is financially preferable because it can preserve not only all assets but also some or all of the institutionalized spouse’s income for the benefit of the community spouse. The payout period of the annuity cannot exceed MassHealth’s determination of the life expectancy of the community spouse. Under the immediate annuity route, however, MassHealth eligibility is not effective until the date the annuity is irrevocably purchased, so it is important that a qualified elder law attorney make a determination of which is the better route as early in the planning process as possible.