The Alabama Medicaid Commissioner has divulged that the state of Medicaid in Alabama is dire. According to Dr. Bob Mullins, the Alabama Medicaid needs $700 million to operate. That is, according to Dr. Mullins, approximately 40% of the General Fund of the State of Alabama. There is a large shortfall in funding for this agency and the main cause of this budgetary gap is the loss of federal stimulus money. With no telling if the federal government will ever again have a stimulus package, Gov. Robert Bentley and other Alabama officials are scrambling to fund this desperately-needed agency.

Medicaid helps pay medical bills for low-income individuals who meet eligibility criteria. For hundreds of thousands of individuals, this is the only way they can afford health care. For the elderly and disabled, the Alabama Medicaid Agency has several programs such as financial support for institutional care (nursing homes, hospitals, etc…), Home and Community based waivers for people who are homebound or have certain diagnoses, and Social Security Related Medicaid programs for those individuals who no longer receive SSI (Supplementary Social Security)

To be eligible for these types of Medicaid programs, you must:

• Be living in Alabama
• Be a U.S. Citizen
• Meet certain medical criteria
• Have a monthly income below a certain limit and
• Have resources/asset below a certain limit.

The North Alabama estate planning and elder law attorneys of Martinson & Beason have experience in dealing with Medicaid, helping you or your loved ones qualify for Medicaid if necessary, or avoid Medicaid assistance if that is your goal. Planning ahead is extremely important for your financial well-being and peace of mind.