Questions about Medicaid (ALTCS/Arizona Long Term Care)

I recently met with a family and they had some very good questions not normally asked.

1)  How long is the ALTCS approval for?

Answer: as long as the client continues to meet the financial & medical criteria.

2)  Does ALTCS take all of the client's money?

Answer:  No & yes, it depends on where the client is going to reside will determine the cost of care

3)  What happens if client lives in a community that accepts ALTCS but does not like it, can she/he move?

Answer:  Yes, as long as the other community is an ALTCS approved home, case manager approves the home and the new home accepts the client.

4)  Is it true that Dementia/Alzheimer's patients automatically qualify for ALTCS?

Answer:  No, it helps to have a diagnosis (ALTCS uses scoring system) but it does not automatically qualify a person.  They still have to meet or exceed a combination of functional & medical factors as established by the Preadmission Screening process completed by ALTCS.  The applicant must need long term care at a level of care comparable to that provided in a nursing facility.

Importance of making pre-arrangements

Most people get offended when you ask if they have made any type of arrangement for a funeral or cremation.  Most say they do not want to think about it or they will let the family take care of it.

I wish they would understand the undue stress that they are leaving their loved and the financial hardship they could possible have.

People don't come to a funeral because someone died...
They come because someone lived!

Celebrate your life and let the ones you love know instead of having them guess.

Medicare Fraud