Medicaid normally requires that a person’s income be used to offset the cost of long-term care in a facility. Virtually all of that person’s income must be paid to the facility each month. Medicaid then pays the balance of that individual’s long-term care costs.
There are special rules that apply to a person’s income if he or she is married. Otherwise, the healthier spouse may not be able to meet the monthly costs and expenses without the institutionalized spouse’s income.
Medicaid has a complicated set of rules concerning the amount of spousal support that can be provided to the healthier spouse. There is a maximum amount of spousal support, which is adjusted each year. The maximum amount of spousal support in 2020 was $3,216.00. The maximum spousal support increased by approximately 1.35% in 2021. According to applicable federal law, the maximum spousal support in 2021 is $3,259.00.
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