After mom's nursing home takes their payment out of her Medicaid and Medicare, can I use that money to buy her funeral insurance?
My mom is currently in a nursing home, where the payment comes out of her Medicaid and Medicare. After the nursing home takes out their payment, she only has $60.00 left in her checking account. She has no assets or other income.
Have you looked into funeral & burial costs and what the figures are for preneed policy payment terms and if they require auto-pay? Depending on moms age & what type of funeral and burial desired, the monthly cost may be well over $ 60 a mo. It could easily be 10k for a traditional. If realistically there isn’t the $ for family to pay funeral & burial, you may need to perhaps rethink things and do a cremation which would be lots less co$t.
Ask the FH if they require policy payments to be done by draft from moms checking account (auto-pay). If mom has her SS going to NH, so their now the rep payee, it’s going to be sticky to do auto pay as she doesn’t have a checking account anymore. FH probably can figure out a payment plan.
As an aside on PNA, at my moms NH, there were residents who had family who themselves had limited resources. Salvation Army often brought in toiletries care packages for them, which I assumed the social worker arranged a list of.
Carbag, I don't think you are being a Scrooge at all. Your mother will die. Something will be done with her body. Thinking of how to pay for that is a legitimate concern.
I just looked at the premium costs for such insurance for myself. The lowest premium was $59/month, many were in the $60s range, and some went over $100. (This was for a policy providing $10,000 benefits. I'm 72. If your mother is older, her premiums would be higher.)
Sadly, I just don't think your mother can afford those premium. No one on Medicaid can, really.
One thing to consider is how to minimize the final costs. Would your mother approve (or have approved when she was well) donating her body to science? That greatly minimizes the costs associated with what happens to the body. You can still have a memorial service, but that can be held anywhere from a funeral home to a pizza parlor. It is a party to celebrate the person's life.
You know what? Doing this research has gotten me thinking of my own end-of-life plan. I have an insurance policy now that would more than cover the costs. But I am now considering donating my body to science (if they'll have it.) In my case, not so much because of the costs, but as a final contribution to medical knowledge.
My husband donated his brain for dementia research. It was very important to him throughout his final years to know that this would happen and that others might benefit from his action.
Agree with Jeannie that $60 a month is Mom's for the only little luxeries she can afford. She won't care about a funeral when she passes but she will care if there is no money for a new pair of slippers or a present for a grandchild or a favorite nurse. Don't be a Scrooge.
That money is her personal allowance, for things like haircuts, new shoes, a magazine subscription, a nice bottle of lotion -- the necessities and small luxuries. My mother's personal allowance was deposited in an account at the nursing home. When they had an optional fast-food day, her cost of the White Castles came out of this account. The on-site beauty parlor charged this account. When she went in their van to WalMart she got some cash out of this account.
Could your mom afford to use some of her personal allowance for the insurance?
I am SO glad that we arranged a pre-paid burial account as part of our mom's spend down to qualify for Medicaid. It is a tough problem to arrange after-the-fact.
I think if you are POA, you can. I was already POA for my mom and I could use her funds as long as what I bought was for her, and I had to show receipts. Check with the finance director where you mom is.
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Depending on moms age & what type of funeral and burial desired, the monthly cost may be well over $ 60 a mo. It could easily be 10k for a traditional. If realistically there isn’t the $ for family to pay funeral & burial, you may need to perhaps rethink things and do a cremation which would be lots less co$t.
Ask the FH if they require policy payments to be done by draft from moms checking account (auto-pay). If mom has her SS going to NH, so their now the rep payee, it’s going to be sticky to do auto pay as she doesn’t have a checking account anymore. FH probably can figure out a payment plan.
As an aside on PNA, at my moms NH, there were residents who had family who themselves had limited resources. Salvation Army often brought in toiletries care packages for them, which I assumed the social worker arranged a list of.
I just looked at the premium costs for such insurance for myself. The lowest premium was $59/month, many were in the $60s range, and some went over $100. (This was for a policy providing $10,000 benefits. I'm 72. If your mother is older, her premiums would be higher.)
Sadly, I just don't think your mother can afford those premium. No one on Medicaid can, really.
One thing to consider is how to minimize the final costs. Would your mother approve (or have approved when she was well) donating her body to science? That greatly minimizes the costs associated with what happens to the body. You can still have a memorial service, but that can be held anywhere from a funeral home to a pizza parlor. It is a party to celebrate the person's life.
You know what? Doing this research has gotten me thinking of my own end-of-life plan. I have an insurance policy now that would more than cover the costs. But I am now considering donating my body to science (if they'll have it.) In my case, not so much because of the costs, but as a final contribution to medical knowledge.
My husband donated his brain for dementia research. It was very important to him throughout his final years to know that this would happen and that others might benefit from his action.
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Could your mom afford to use some of her personal allowance for the insurance?
I am SO glad that we arranged a pre-paid burial account as part of our mom's spend down to qualify for Medicaid. It is a tough problem to arrange after-the-fact.