Under Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program in California, low income seniors can get state assistance for medical care, but the funds used may be taken out of their estate after they die. Under the current system, assets that may be collected to pay the medical expenses include the deceased Medi-Cal participant’s house. A bill passed by state legislatures would have limited collection on medical funds to those used for nursing home care, but was vetoed by the state’s governor. Governor Jerry Brown had previously expressed concerns about the financial affect that the bill would have if signed into law, and how the state would compensate for the lost ability to recoup the medical cost.
See Tracy Seipel, Gov. Brown Vetoes Bill Limiting Estate Recovery for Medi-Cal Enrollees, San Jose Mercury News, Sept. 26, 2014.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
