Nursing homes in New Hampshire seem to have undergone a fairly major transformation. New Hampshire once had some of the best nursing homes in the country. New Hampshire nursing homes led the country in the movement to remove physical restraints and to promote the Residents’ Bill of Rights. Most nursing homes were owned and operated by families- families who lived here and worked in the nursing home. Now, most are owned by out of state corporations. Complicating everything are the difficulties nursing homes are having with Medicaid which pays for the majority of nursing home residents. It can take three to six months to be approved by Medicaid- and sometimes it can take a year. In the meantime, the nursing home doesn’t get paid. Take a look at this article in the Union leader about a nursing home that once was the best of the best: Manchester Union Leader

What does this mean for you? Long term care planning is now a must for most of us. Not all nursing homes are suffering and assisted living facilities are taking up the long term care mantle but those facilities do not take Medicaid, for the most part. The best nursing homes and the best assisted living facilities usually have a high private census- meaning they do not take many Medicaid resident, if any, and you will need to pay privately. You will need sufficient assets to pay for at least six months and preferably a year to get into the remaining good facilities. Medicaid planning, that is planning to save assets from “the nursing home” used to be a priority for our clients and for some it will still be important, but planning to pay for the best level of care possible is starting to become ever more important. Long term care insurance is one of the best ways to pay the costs of not only nursing homes and assisted living. However, for some such coverage is either too expensive or unobtainable due to health concerns. We are happy to help explain the planning options or to help you decide what options are available for care now.

If you are concerned about planning for long term care, we would be happy to team with you and your financial adviser and/or insurance agent. . Call us to schedule an appointment! 603-249-5925