Medicaid Immediately or Medicaid Spend Down?

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Thank you for clicking “stay tuned” on CareAvailability.com and choosing to receive a monthly update with announcements, news, education, and much more. The big news this month - we received feedback from families that wanted clarification on Medicaid options while they search for housing and care. You can now filter by Medicaid Immediately or Medicaid Spend Down. Learn more below!

For your information, we keep an archive of past newsletters if you feel you have missed something. Please let us know if there are specific topics of interest to you, so we can best meet your needs.

This Month...

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
This year's theme, "A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience," honors the trailblazers who laid the foundation for future generations to thrive and adapt to change and adversity.
Join us this month in recognizing the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of AAPI individuals across the nation. Let's honor the past, celebrate the present, and build a more inclusive future together.

Other holidays:
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo
May 11 - Mothers Day
May 12 - International Nurses Day
May 26 - Memorial Day

"Choosing the Right Retirement Living Community"
Retirement is not the end—it’s the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Where you choose to live during this time can have a profound impact on your comfort, happiness, and overall well-being. Retirement living communities offer more than just housing; they provide a lifestyle designed to support autonomy while offering access to services and amenities that enrich daily life.

Whether you’re downsizing, seeking a social atmosphere, or planning ahead for peace of mind, finding the right retirement living community is a meaningful step toward a secure and fulfilling future...

Medicaid Immediately or Medicaid Spend Down?

We have made some small changes to the Advanced Search filters on CareAvailability.com related to payment options. When searching for Senior Living, you could always filter search results to show only those that accept Medicaid.

However, we recently received feedback from families searching for care. Although they filtered the results for the payment option “Medicaid”- the results showed many that did not have immediate availability to move in. In an effort to simplify the search for families and provide less confusion- we have now added a more custom filter for Medicaid.

Now, providers can report either: "Medicaid Immediately" OR "Medicaid Spend Down". As always, families must be eligible for Medicaid benefits from the state, even if the provider accepts this payment source.

1) "Medicaid Immediately"- means that a provider has a Medicaid license and can make an immediate move in, if the family has been approved for Medicaid.

2) "Medicaid Spend Down"- means that a provider has a Medicaid license, however a family would need to pay with private pay funds for a specific time prior to being able to move to Medicaid for payment (typically 6 months to 2 years). If you are looking at "Medicaid Spend Down” as a payment option, we recommend that you contact the provider directly to clarify how long private funds are needed at the community.

We hope this helps families better search for their specific needs, and allows providers to more accurately reflect what payment options are available. Thank you to everyone for their suggestions and feedback.