To Qualify for Medicaid you must:

• Have a medical need
• Have no more than $2,000 in countable assets
• Have gross monthly income of less than $2,350 or if more than $2,350, have a Qualified Income Trust for the excess income

There is a commonly held misconception that a person must “spend down” his or her assets before they are able to qualify for Medicaid benefits. This is not true. A person applying for Medicaid can legally restructure his or her assets to immediately qualify for Medicaid benefits. There are several strategies available to avoid the Medicaid spend down which include the use of certain contracts, special needs trusts or the purchase of exempt assets.