Category Archives for Health Law
Goodbye to 2024. Hello to New Year 2025
As the year 2024 comes to an end it seems very much to be a turning point for many aspects of what we do, not the least of which for me and my daughter and brother is a series of changes in our own practices. So now, as we all wave goodbye to 2024 as […]
Continue readingWould the Polio Vaccine Be At Risk Under Robert Kennedy, Jr.?
On December 13, 2024, the New York Times published an article by Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay Stolberg that raised the question whether a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Robert Kennedy, Jr., the prospective Trump nominee, might place polio vaccines at risk. The article was entitled “Kennedy’s Lawyer Has Asked the F.D.A. […]
Continue readingHow To Criticize Anything About the Economy (and Still Be Right or Wrong)
This column begins with a confession. I am not an economist. The last course I remember taking in economics specifically was in college but, in fairness, I did study government budgeting during one graduate program at West Chester University years ago. Still, what I have to say I believe applies to most commentaries on the […]
Continue readingWhat You May Need to Know About Pennsylvania Medicaid
To try to explain Medicaid to the average Pennsylvanian (or resident of any other state for that matter) is like jumping through a minefield of contradictory information. There are, however, a few points that can safely be made, most of them describing the overall complexity of a very complicated system. So here goes the leap […]
Continue readingThe Major Difference Between Admission and Under Observation for Hospital Stays
If you are on traditional Medicare, either alone or with a Medicare Supplement plan or on Medicare Advantage and are taken to the hospital one important distinction in describing your status can make a very sizeable difference in your bill both on your leaving and on receiving rehabilitative care. It is the difference between the […]
Continue readingThree Midnights Could Decide Your Health Care Coverage
With more than twenty years as an elder law attorney I have come to realize both how easy (or difficult) it might be to obtain health care coverage under certain circumstances and also how easily coverage can be lost due to what might be regarded as minor differences in description of conditions or lack of […]
Continue readingLegislation Introduced to Eliminate Medicaid Estate Recovery
On March 6, 2024 U.S. Representative Janice Schakowksy, Representative from Illinois and Chief Deputy Whip and Ranking Member of the House Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee, introduced a bill to totally eliminate Medicaid estate recovery. For those affected by the program it was a major move and this was the Congresswoman’s second attempt. Although in […]
Continue readingMedicare, Medicaid or Hospice for At-Home Care
If you are seeking at-home care assistance for a family member that is paid either in full or in part by the government you can find that the system is complicated and, unless your loved one fits within one of the designated categories, you may be limited to paying from your family member’s asset or […]
Continue readingShould You Decide On A Trust or a Will?
Sometimes we receive calls at the office requesting a Will with estate documents (Financial Power of Attorney, Health Care Power and Living Will also referred to as Advanced Directives). In that case a potential client might say “I don’t want anything complicated. Just the basics.” Sometimes, often after having heard a speaker either in person […]
Continue readingAt Home Services Are Different Between Medicare and Medicaid
One of the great confusions when seeking access to government health benefits is the similarity between the words “Medicare” and “Medicaid.” Even seasoned professionals in the field sometimes slip and use one word instead of the other. There are major differences between the two programs and one area where this becomes very clear is in […]
Continue readingSupreme Court Case Examines Right to Sue Regarding Nursing Home Care
A case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court could decide whether Medicaid beneficiaries and their families can obtain relief for some nursing home violations in federal court or be left to filing a complaint with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The case of Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County (HHC) […]
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