Medicaid Impoverishment Limits

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  Medicaid is a state administered program and each state sets its own guidelines regarding eligibility and services.

  Spousal Impoverishment:

  (Section 1924 of the Social Security Act; U.S. Code Reference 42 U.S.C. 1396r-5)

  The expense of nursing home care, which ranges from $4,000 to $6,000 a month or more, can rapidly deplete the lifetime savings of elderly couples. In 1988, Congress enacted provisions to prevent what has come to be called "spousal impoverishment," which can leave the spouse who is still living at home in the community with little or no income or resources. These provisions help ensure that this situation will not occur and that community spouses are able to live out their lives with independence and dignity

  
  
  
  2009 Spousal Impoverishment Standards

  Community Spouse Monthly Income Allowance:
  Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA)	$1,750.00 All States (Except Alaska and Hawaii)
  Maximum:	$2,739.00
  Community Spouse Resources:
  Minimum Resource Standard:	$ 21,912.00
  Maximum Resource Standard	$109,560.00