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Trump budget: $800 billion in Medicaid cuts

Like many budget proposals, this is a "10 year plan" which is a clever trick used to get a "nice" CBO score with the "cuts" occuring in future budget years. Basically, it allows continued deficit spending now to be "paid for" by the (fictional?) premise that future congress critter actions are bound by this batch of congress critters "promise" to make cuts in 2020 or even 2026. In essence, this is Trump "promising" that his deficit spending now will be "paid for" later.

Rest assured that the party for a bigger federal government is not about to shift costs to the (their?) states and districts - the basis for Trump's future (promised?) "savings". Trump needs these future savings "promises", plus some more from AHCA future savings "projections", to have the CBO assure us that his tax cuts (comming soon - remember?) are fiscally responsible.

The bottom line is that Trump and our merry congress critters will pass yet another "budget" with a deficit, call it temporary and managable, and get back on the campaign trail telling us how much they saved us (from 2020 to 2026).
 
800 Billion is a start , Trump needs to gut the money pit !!!! :roll:

As someone who works daily with poor seniors and poor disabled people, (including veterans in remote area who depend on Medicare and/or Medicaid) , I certainly hope not.

The Medicaid system has its warts,. But most right wing nuts don't realize that it can protect your assets when your spouse gets sick.

The single biggest threat to your estate, is the cost of Long Term Care.
 
As someone who works daily with poor seniors and poor disabled people, (including veterans in remote area who depend on Medicare and/or Medicaid) , I certainly hope not.

The Medicaid system has its warts,. But most right wing nuts don't realize that it can protect your assets when your spouse gets sick.

The single biggest threat to your estate, is the cost of Long Term Care.

Yep, it kicks in right after the couple spends down to half of their assets. In the case of my parents that was three weeks (20 days) before my mother died. Assets lost $125K and Medicaid benefits gained $3K - a great deal indeed. ;)
 
Yep, it kicks in right after the couple spends down to half of their assets. In the case of my parents that was three weeks (20 days) before my mother died. Assets lost $125K and Medicaid benefits gained $3K - a great deal indeed. ;)

Did you consult an elder attorney?

The Medicaid laws are now designed to protect the well spouse. There are several legal ways to transfer and protect wealth. WELL WORTH THE ADVICE.
 
Did you consult an elder attorney?

The Medicaid laws are now designed to protect the well spouse. There are several legal ways to transfer and protect wealth. WELL WORTH THE ADVICE.

The well spouse was entitled to 50% of the shared assets - that half was "protected". The sick spouse was said to own 50% of the shared assets thus was said to be "too rich" to get Medicaid. And yes, lawyers were involved.
 
The well spouse was entitled to 50% of the shared assets - that half was "protected". The sick spouse was said to own 50% of the shared assets thus was said to be "too rich" to get Medicaid. And yes, lawyers were involved.

Unfortunately planning ahead relieves many of the look back provisions. There are legal ways to protect wealth. Hindsight is 20/20 of course. Your Mother's need for care was relatively short-lived it appears. (Sorry for your loss btw)

Had her stay been average (2 and a 1/2 years), Medicaid would have really helped your Father.

I have 3 siblings in memory care. If it weren't for Medicaid the surviving spouses would be totally screwed.
 
Unfortunately planning ahead relieves many of the look back provisions. There are legal ways to protect wealth. Hindsight is 20/20 of course. Your Mother's need for care was relatively short-lived it appears. (Sorry for your loss btw)

Had her stay been average (2 and a 1/2 years), Medicaid would have really helped your Father.

Her stay was almost three years long it just took that long to spend down $125K over what private insurance covered - at that point (20 days before she died) Medicaid finally kicked in.
 
She had LTC insurance? That's pretty rare these days.
 
She had LTC insurance? That's pretty rare these days.

Probably not if she had to spend down. Medicaid makes you spend down your assets. They're brutal to, they leave the house and a car for the spouse and take just about everything else. Til the spouse dies, then they get the house and car.

LTC gives you a pool of money based on a daily cost. A nursing home in one town may charge 70 a day for care. While a different towns nursing home costs 90. They take the cost per day and ask you how many years you want to prepare for and that's your pool. And for an extra 10 bucks a month they tack on inflation protection. Which increases your pool with inflation.

I prefer HHC (Home Healthcare Plans), they're cheaper on the premium and they keep you in your house.

Food for thought, would you rather spend 1400 a year on a LTC plan, or have medicaid spend down everything you worked for in your life.
 
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Probably not if she had to spend down. Medicaid makes you spend down your assets. They're brutal to, they leave the house and a car for the spouse and take just about everything else. Til the spouse dies, then they get the house and car.

LTC gives you a pool of money based on a daily cost. A nursing home in one town may charge 70 a day for care. While a different towns nursing home costs 90. They take the cost per day and ask you how many years you want to prepare for and that's your pool. And for an extra 10 bucks a month they tack on inflation protection. Which increases your pool with inflation.

I prefer HHC (Home Healthcare Plans), they're cheaper on the premium and they keep you in your house.

Food for thought, would you rather spend 1400 a year on a LTC plan, or have medicaid spend down everything you worked for in your life.

I'm a licensed agent in WA. Medicare, LTC, Life, Annuities, etc.

I don't like LTC insurance. No guaranteed claim. You can fund LTC through life insurance. Many providers have LTC riders. At least with Life Insurance there is a guaranteed claim...or here's another option good in all states.

There is a reasonably new product on the market. American Senior Services Inc, has a product called True Freedom Plans. This is not insurance. No underwriting. So anyone not already in an institution can get it.

It is essentially prepaying for in-home care at a dramatically reduced cost. For example, 1000 hours is 475.00 a month. If you need someone for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, that 1000 hours lasts you the better part of a year.

There is an initial 90 day wait before your benefits start. Then you can spend down your hours at whatever rate you need. When the hours run out, there's a new 90 day wait, then the hours are replenished to 1000 again. This cycle repeats itself up to ten times.

It's a fraction of the cost of assisted living to be sure.
 
Probably not if she had to spend down. Medicaid makes you spend down your assets. They're brutal to, they leave the house and a car for the spouse and take just about everything else. Til the spouse dies, then they get the house and car.

At least now they protect the well spouse. That didn't used to be that way. They used to attach immediately. They finally figured out that when they did that, more often than not the surviving spouse was left destitute and subsequently also on the public teat.
 
As someone who works daily with poor seniors and poor disabled people, (including veterans in remote area who depend on Medicare and/or Medicaid) , I certainly hope not.

The Medicaid system has its warts,. But most right wing nuts don't realize that it can protect your assets when your spouse gets sick.

The single biggest threat to your estate, is the cost of Long Term Care.

If you truly work with the poor, seniors and veterans then you know that the states have programs for all these people and that federal funding isn't required to handle the needs of the people. Could it be that lower federal taxes would results in fewer dollars leaving the states thus giving the state economy more money to solve their own social problems? It does seem that spending in the name of compassion appeals to the hearts of the left but does nothing to truly help those in need other than helping the bureaucrats that run the programs

It really is sad how easily minds of some people are manipulated into believing that a federal one size fits all program in 50 independent states with different costs of living works when the results show the opposite
 
If you truly work with the poor, seniors and veterans then you know that the states have programs for all these people and that federal funding isn't required to handle the needs of the people. Could it be that lower federal taxes would results in fewer dollars leaving the states thus giving the state economy more money to solve their own social problems? It does seem that spending in the name of compassion appeals to the hearts of the left but does nothing to truly help those in need other than helping the bureaucrats that run the programs

It really is sad how easily minds of some people are manipulated into believing that a federal one size fits all program in 50 independent states with different costs of living works when the results show the opposite

Trump wants to cut federal funding for states by 800 billion. To suggest that the states just Make That Up" is naive at best.

The money isn't there. And who gets hurt? Those with the least.

There is abuse of the system that can be addressed to produce cuts. That is a reasonable and noble cause. That is what the previous administration did

But that is not what Trump plans to do.


Schools brace for impact if Congress cuts Medicaid spending - ABC News

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opin...4/medicaid-cuts-impact-many-column/101296066/

Impact of Medicaid Per-Capita Cap Cuts Underestimated by Many – Center For Children and Families

Hospital official: Cut to Medicaid 'almost unfathomable' - News - providencejournal.com - Providence, RI

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/03/ahca-economics/519498/

http://www.transformingillinoishealthcare.org/medicaid_news.aspx
 
While not wanting to start a debate on spending more than the govt. brings in, the USA is borrowing approximately 0.46 for every dollar it spends. Our national debt continues to rise each year. Health care is a vital program. Medicaid should be funded. Social Security is important and should be funded as well as other non discretionary obligations.

People need to start looking at the whole budget. Somewhere reductions have to be made if health care and other social programs are to be funded to the level some want.
 
Top Cat;1067237034]Trump wants to cut federal funding for states by 800 billion. To suggest that the states just Make That Up" is naive at best.

Good, that isn't federal responsibility to provide insurance for state residents

The money isn't there. And who gets hurt? Those with the least.

How do you know that? The money is here in TX to take care of its own

There is abuse of the system that can be addressed to produce cuts. That is a reasonable and noble cause. That is what the previous administration did

Abuse is never addressed by federal bureaucrats thus the rising cost of all these entitlement programs, time to put a stop to it, if not now when?


All that spending in the name of compassion never changes human behavior but it does appeal to the hearts of individuals who believe throwing money at the problem solves problems when all it does is make people like you feel better

Cutting funding for Medicaid puts the power back to the people of the states who can vote their wallets if that is what they want to support
 
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