John J. Rizzo III has joined the firm of Swogger, Bruce & Millar Law Firm, P.C.

Swogger, Bruce & Millar, Law Firm, P.C.

I have brought my Traverse City Medicaid planning practice to the firm of Swogger, Bruce & Millar Law Firm, P.C. I am excited for this opportunity to add first class office support to my Elder Law experience and skills. The practice has five other great lawyers and an impressive support staff.

Contact me at my new office if you have any questions about protecting your assets or receiving Medicaid or Veterans benefits.

John J. Rizzo III

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Children’s Insurance, Other Health Programs Funded — For Now — In Bill

The bill passed by Congress late Thursday to keep most of the federal government funded for another month also provided a temporary reprieve to a number of health programs in danger of running out of money, most notably the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. Funding for CHIP technically expired Oct. 1. States have been operating their programs with leftover funds provided by the Department of Health and Human Services since then. But nearly half of the states were projected to run out of money entirely by the end of January, putting health coverage for nearly 2 million children at risk by that point. The funding provided by Congress for CHIP — $2.85 billion — is for six months, but it is back-dated to Oct. 1, so it will run out at the end of March 2018. The program covers 9 million children across the country. Follow the link below for the full story. Childrens Insurance Other Health Programs Funded For Now In Bill

Medicaid's Five-Year Look-Back Period and Penalties for Gifting

Many of my elder law clients in northern Michigan have questions about the Medicaid look-back period and penalties for gifting. The first thing to know is that Medicaid planning to protect assets can be done at any time, even during the look-back period, or after a client is in a nursing home. With that initial piece of information in hand, we can proceed to an explanation of the Medicaid system for penalizing gifts. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services processes applications for Medicaid benefits. DHHS policy directs an eligibility specialist to investigate all gifts, or transfers for less than fair market value, that an applicant or his spouse made within five years of the applicant being in a nursing home and otherwise being eligible for Medicaid. Let's unpack that a little bit. First, there are two thresholds to cross before a gift penalty begins to run. The applicant must be in long-term care and eligible for Medicaid based on...

Maine's Governor Defies Voters Approval of Medicaid Expansion

Although Maine residents passed a ballot measure to expand Medicaid with 59 percent approval, Gov. Paul LePage is resisting. Gov. LePage has vetoed Medicaid expansion legislation five times. LePage has stated that opening up the program to more low-income residents would hurt the state's finances. LePage believes that Maine should not raise taxes to pay for the expansion. Traditional Medicaid imposes coverage requirements based on income, household size, disability, and other factors. Expanded Medicaid allows you to qualify based on your income alone. If your household income is below 133% of the federal poverty level, you qualify. Medicaid expansion would provide health insurance coverage to at least 70,000 low-income residents. Medicaid expansion is having a disproportionately positive impact in rural communities. Rural uninsured rates have dropped dramatically compared to metropolitan areas. Expansion has also reduced disparities ...

Traverse City Medicaid Attorney

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