Please don’t make me regret signing up for Medi-Cal! I just found out today that it is possible for the government to lay an estate claim on my house to pay for outstanding medical bills when I die. I remember seeing something about this when I filled out the forms for Medi-Cal so that I could qualify as a provider of (and my daughter could receive) In Home Supportive Services.
But could they really take my home away from Jillian when I die? Please tell me it isn’t so!
There are ten states where language in their sign-up documentation effectively allows those states to use “estate recovery” to steal Medicaid and Medi-Cal recipients’ equity in their homes in order to cover medical expenses.
In California, SB 1124 passed unanimously in the Senate to overturn the wording in the Medi-Cal sign-up paperwork (or online registration, like the kind I used) so that low-income families don’t have to worry about this. Unfortunately, Governor Jerry Brown VETOED the bill! If you don’t believe me, read Jerry Brown’s signature on this veto note: gov.ca.gov/docs/SB_1124_Veto_Message.pdf
For more information on how California uses “estate recovery” to take away people’s home, read: http://bit.ly/ZAtAzB