If you’re still working and have health insurance through your job now, you might not worry much about you’ll pay for your healthcare needs as you get older. But the reality is that when you retire, you won’t have the same health insurance plan you have now. While you can sign up for Medicare at a certain age, you should be aware that its coverage is limited when it comes to some health care needs.

For example, Medicare only pays for a limited number of days in the hospital, and it only pays for nursing home care for a small amount of people. In fact, the majority of those in nursing homes do not use Medicare to pay for this expense. This means you should plan ahead to find other ways to pay for nursing home costs.

One way to do so is through long-term care insurance, which requires you to buy a plan in advance, meaning you should start looking at options long before you need to use your policy. Another option is Medicaid, which provides health care benefits from the state. The downside is that you won’t qualify for Medicaid if you make too much money.

However, elder law lawyers may be able to find ways to help you qualify with the use of some legal methods you might not be aware of. They can also consider other programs you might qualify for depending on your financial situation, so contact our law firm for help with Medicaid eligibility and other legal services.