nursing homes

Time reports that nursing homes are increasingly serving as housing of last resort, with people moving into facilities not primarily for medical care but because they have nowhere else to live. The article highlights how shortages of affordable housing and home-based care options are pushing vulnerable older adults into institutional settings, prompting debate among health and housing policy experts.

An elderly homeowner with a mortgage-free house appraised at $760,000 was denied Medicaid nursing home coverage because his assets sat just $8,000 above the eligibility line. Coverage only began after he borrowed against the property to reduce his countable assets. The case is drawing attention to how strict asset limits can push seniors into debt to access long-term care.