Submitted by RasterAlien t3_zgmil7 in personalfinance
EDIT: I didn't expect such a big response. Thank you SO much to everyone who offered advice and links to resources, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. There are too many comments and messages to respond to individually but I have read each and every one. Thank you again.
My mom doesn't want to go to the hospital because she already owes tens of thousands in medical bills. She said they will put a lien on the house and I don't really know what that is or how it works. She is elderly, disabled, and on Medicare/Medicaid.
Her house is already paid off. I am 30 years old and disabled. I currently reside here and pay rent to her, but I do not own the house yet. I am supposed to inherit it when she dies, which will likely be soon. Does this mean I have to pay all her medical debt? Will they take the house away from me? I'm freaking the hell out. If she transfers the house into my name before she dies can I possibly avoid this? We are in Washington state, USA.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
EDIT: I found this:
"Can Medicaid take away someone’s home?
Part of the estate recovery process looks at property owned by the Medicaid beneficiary, and recovering some of the debt through the value of that property (this is called putting a lien on the house).
The state can file a lien when the Medicaid recipient is institutionalized and not expected to return home, or after the beneficiary’s death. However, the state cannot seize or place a lien on a home if any of the following of the beneficiary’s family reside there:
A living spouse
A child under age 21
A blind or disabled child of any age
A sibling with equity interest in the home, who has lived there for at least one year prior to the beneficiary entering a nursing home
The lien is removed if the beneficiary returns home or the house is sold and Medicaid is reimbursed. Some states only put a lien on the home when the beneficiary is alive; others do this after death."
Since I am disabled and I live here, does that mean they can't take the house from me or pass on the debt to me?