Elderlaw News August 2012
August 2012
- Medicaid Expansion: What If a State Opts Out?
- Elderly Losing Homes for Owing a Few Hundred Dollars in Back Taxes
- May Someone With Dementia Sign a Will?
- Home Care Agencies Hiring Unqualified Caregivers, Study Finds
Welcome to our E-Newsletter
ElderLaw News is a monthly e-newsletter that brings you reports of legal developments and other trends of vital interest to seniors and their advocates. This newsletter is brought to you by Julian Gray Associates.
Medicaid Expansion: What If a State Opts Out?
One of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act gives money to states to expand Medicaid to adults and families with low incomes –- a total of about 17 million additional people. However, the Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal government cannot force states to accept the Medicaid expansion. Although the poor elderly and disabled are protected, this could leave millions of others without any options for health coverage — and possibly cost lives.
Elderly Losing Homes for Owing a Few Hundred Dollars in Back Taxes
In what a new report is calling “a second nationwide foreclosure crisis,” homeowners, particularly the elderly, are losing their homes because they owe as little as a few hundred dollars in back property taxes. At the same time, big banks and other investors are snatching up these homes for pennies on the dollar and reaping huge profits.
May Someone With Dementia Sign a Will?
Millions of people are affected by dementia, and unfortunately many of them do not have all their estate planning affairs in order before the symptoms start. If you or a loved one has dementia, it may not be too late to sign a will or other documents, but certain criteria must be met to ensure that the signer is mentally competent.
Home Care Agencies Hiring Unqualified Caregivers, Study Finds
A new survey has shed light on the hiring practices of private home care agencies, and the news is not good. In many cases, agencies are sending to the homes of vulnerable elderly patients workers with little or no experience or knowledge, no training, and inadequate background checks.