Annuity Battle in Ohio

Multiple judges in Ohio have questioned the state’s practice of penalizing Medicaid recipients living in nursing homes when their spouse purchases an annuity. The plaintiffs in the cases are arguing that the annuities meet federal requirements and that Ohio’s practice is hurting seniors that are just trying to make ends meet. In one of the pending cases, the judge entered a preliminary injunction which ordered the state to comply with federal law.

See Encarnacion Pyle, Ohio Under Fire For Blocking Medicaid For Seniors Whose Spouses Bought Annuities, The Columbus Dispatch, Oct. 6, 2014.