Most people know that they should have some type of an estate plan in place, but they just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Or perhaps they made a plan 10 or 20 years ago, and it’s now outdated due to family changes or tax law changes. Procrastination is the enemy of good planning. Don’t let yourself wait so long that dementia, sudden illness, or death will prevent you from doing proper planning. Plan ahead.
Good estate planning encompasses how decisions will be made if a person dies or becomes incapacitated, and elder law planning takes things a step further to look at how your assets can be protected in the event that you need nursing home care. Everyone should consider both.
If you succeed in reaching the ripe old age of 65, the odds are slightly greater than 50% that you’ll spend some time in a long-term care facility, and the average length of stay in a long-term care facility is about two and a half years. That’s a huge cost. Don’t take that gamble.
A great myth about Medi-Cal is that you can’t qualify unless you have no money at all, or that the state will take everything from your family when you die. Proper planning can change all of that. Learn what can be done.
If you don’t yet have an estate plan, you should consult a knowledgeable attorney. If you have a plan, but haven’t looked at it for 5, 10, or 20 years, I suggest that you pull it out, take a good look at it, and see whether it still accurately reflects your wishes. If your plan was prepared without looking towards the potential need to have Medi-Cal pay for your long-term care, then your existing durable power of attorney may actually hamper the Medi-Cal planning efforts that someone might want to do on your behalf. Be proactive. As Gen. George S. Patton said, “Be prepared for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.” Don’t let yourself delay to that point where the lack of a plan hurts you and your family.