• 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
    • News and Events
  • Areas We Serve
    • Essex County, MA
      • Andover
      • North Andover
    • Hillsborough County, NH
      • Manchester
      • Nashua
    • Middlesex County, MA
      • Concord
      • Lexington
      • Wakefield
      • Winchester
      • Woburn
    • Rockingham County, NH
      • Exeter
      • Londonderry
      • Salem
  • Services
    • Asset & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate And Gift Tax Figures
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Legacy Planning Services
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Loss Of A Loved One
    • Pet Planning
    • Power Of Attorney
    • Probate and Trust Administration
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Young Families
  • Elder Law
    • Coping with Alzheimer’s
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Nursing Home Planning
  • Resources
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder law reports
      • Elder Law Resources
        • Elder Law Resources – Londonderry, New Hampshire
        • Elder Law Resources North Andover, Massachusetts
        • Nashua, New Hampshire Elder Law Resources
        • Woburn, MA Elder Law Resources
    • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning Articles
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • 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      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Business Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Estate Planning
      • Elder Law
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Incapacity Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Medicaid Calculator
    • Newsletters
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Presentations
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss Of A Loved One
      • Probate Resources
        • Nashua, New Hampshire Probate Resources
        • Probate Resources – Londonderry, New Hampshire
        • Probate Resources – North Andover, MA
        • Probate Resources – Wakefield, Massachusetts
        • Woburn, MA Probate Resources
      • 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
    • Published Books
  • Seminars
    • Live Seminars
    • Online Seminars
  • Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us

DeBruyckere Law Offices, PC

Serving Southern New Hampshire & Essex Country, Massachussetts

Call us today(603) 894-4141

(978) 969-0331

Online Seminars
Attend Free Seminar
Home » Medicaid Planning » The Medicaid Look-Back Period Explained

The Medicaid Look-Back Period Explained

February 28, 2017Medicaid Planning

Medicaid look-back period

About half of all seniors who need long-term care end up turning to Medicaid for help with the high cost of that care. When you consider the odds that you may one day need long-term care (LTC) coupled with the number of seniors who count on Medicaid for help with LTC expenses, you stand a good chance of needing to qualify for Medicaid yourself at some point down the road. If you failed to plan ahead for that possibility by incorporating Medicaid planning strategies into your estate plan, you may find that you face challenges to eligibility. One of those challenges is the Medicaid five-year “look-back” period. A better understanding of what the Medicaid look-back period is may prompt you to consider adding Medicaid planning to your overall estate plan now.

Will You Need Long-Term Care?

Unfortunately, there is no way to know who among us will end up in LTC and who will not. We do, however, know the overall odds of needing LTC – odds that increase with each passing year. When you reach retirement age, at age 65, you will stand about a 50-50 chance of eventually ending up in a nursing home or other LTC facility for at least some period of time before you die. If you make it to age 85, those odds increase to about 75-25 in favor of needing LTC. Given those odds, it makes sense to plan for the possibility that LTC will be needed.

Why Will I Need to Qualify for Medicaid?

The cost of LTC is high across the United States with an average cost of $80,000 per year as of 2016. If you live in New Hampshire or Massachusetts, you can expect to pay considerably more than the national average. The average cost of LTC in New Hampshire for 2016 was about $120,000 while Massachusetts came in at over $140,000. What makes the high cost of care worse is that most basic health insurance policies will not cover LTC nor will Medicare. It is for this reason that so many seniors end up turning to Medicaid for help, because Medicaid will cover LTC expenses for those who qualify for benefits.

Medicaid Basics

Medicaid is a federal healthcare program targeted at providing coverage to low income individuals and families as well as the disabled and aged. Each individual state, however, administer the program within the state which is why there are some differences in eligibility requirements and benefits among the states. In all states, however, an applicant cannot have income nor “countable resources” that exceed the program limit. With a countable resources limit as low as $2,000, it is not surprising that many seniors get denied, initially, for benefits.

Transferring Assets and the Medicaid Look-Back Period

If your countable resources exceed the Medicaid limit, you might think that simply transferring assets out of your estate before you apply is the answer. Once upon a time that was the answer – before Medicaid implemented the “five-year look-back period.” Medicaid will review your finances for the five-year period leading up to your application. If any asset transfers were made for less than fair market value (FMV) during that time they will be flagged for further review. Eventually, the value of the transferred asset may be imputed back into your estate if Medicaid is not convinced that there was a reason for the less than FMV transfer other than to qualify for Medicaid. That, in turn, could cause Medicaid to impose a waiting period during which time you would be expected to “spend-down” your excess assets until the total value of your assets is down below the program limit. This is why it is so important to include Medicaid planning in your estate plan long before you actually need to qualify for benefits.

Contact Us

If you have additional questions or concerns regarding the Medicaid look-back period, contact the experienced New Hampshire Medicaid planning attorneys at DeBruyckere Law Offices by calling (603) 894-4141 or (978) 969-0331 to schedule an appointment.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Daniel DeBruyckere
Daniel DeBruyckere
Attorney Daniel A. DeBruyckere has been practicing law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts since 1998, and has helped hundreds of clients with their estate planning and elder care issues. He is very well respected in the area of estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law issues, and business planning.
Daniel DeBruyckere
Latest posts by Daniel DeBruyckere (see all)
  • Blended Family Estate Planning - May 19, 2022
  • What You Need to Know about Last-Minute Medicaid Planning - May 17, 2022
  • Understanding Your Life Insurance Options - May 12, 2022

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Londonderry Medicaid planning attorneys
What You Need to Know about Last-Minute Medicaid Planning
Understanding the Medicaid Transfer Penalty
Londonderry Medicaid planning attorneys
How to Plan for Long-Term Care
Is It Too Late to Save My Assets If I Need to Qualify for Medicaid?
Londonderry Medicaid planning attorneys
5 Things You Should Know about Medicaid
Do You Qualify for Medicaid in New Hampshire?

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube

Blog Subscribe

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

Testimonials

I felt complete trust and confidence in Dan DeBruyckere and his staff. They have a caring, low-key approach and there is no pressure to add products to the estate plan; rather he makes me aware of changes in the law, etc. I always learn something new to assist me in our planning!

LN

Your seminar was the only seminar we attended without financial advisors wanting to invest our money instead of protecting it! The information this firm provided was easy to understand even though it is a difficult topic. Thank you for all of your help!

HR

We both felt so comfortable in they way our Estate Planning was handled. We felt like someone was watching out for our best interest. Everyone we worked with at the firm was thorough, and explained everything in a way where we could walk away feeling like everything was complete.

RS

A truly great experience all the way through. Felt like we were a part of the family! Thank you.

LW

We could not have picked a more qualified law firm. Everyone that we came in contact with made us feel at ease.

Happy Client

DeBruyckere Law Offices, PC footer

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
footer-logo

© 2022 DeBruyckere Law Offices
All Right Reseved.

Attorney Advertisement

© 2022 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.