What Is Medicaid Estate Recovery?

Federal law requires states to recover certain Medicaid costs after an enrollee dies. If you’re 55 or older — or permanently institutionalized at any age — Medicaid can seek repayment for nursing home care, home and community-based services, and related hospital and prescription drug services. States may even expand recovery to all other Medicaid services, except Medicare cost-sharing paid on behalf of Medicare Savings Program beneficiaries.

To recoup the money spent on long-term care and services, Medicaid Estate Recovery often targets the one asset families most want to preserve — their home.

NAELA Foundation Takes Action

The NAELA Foundation is spearheading a project to educate federal policymakers on the harmful effects of Medicaid Estate Recovery. It includes:

• RESEARCH — The Foundation held a nationwide competition among public health graduate school students. Teams of students conducted a deep dive into data about Medicaid Estate Recovery and, from their research, offered policy ideas to address this issue. This page also includes a compendium of additional resources to learn more about Medicaid Estate Recovery.
  
  
• REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES — NAELA members shared firsthand accounts of clients affected by Medicaid Estate Recovery and how it impacted their ability to retain ownership of their family home. Hear about their experiences in their own words in videos and downloadable PDFs.

This project is made possible through a grant provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Justice in Aging is providing support to the project through several resources to demonstrate the impact of Medicaid Estate Recovery in Missouri and New Jersey and to help advocates talk about the issue.

Do You Have a Client Who Has Been Impacted by Medicaid Estate Recovery?

If you have a client (or estate) who lost their family home (or experienced other hardships) due to Medicaid Estate Recovery and who would like to share their experience, please let us know.