Joseph L. Matthews, Expert
Caring.com Expert
Joseph L. Matthews has been an attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1971. From 1975 to 1977 he taught at the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books, including Social Security, Medicare, and Government Pensions; Long-Term Care: How to Plan and Pay for It; How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim; and The Lawyer Who Blew up His Desk. The original coauthor of Joseph's book on Social Security and Medicare was his mother, Dorothy, who had worked at senior centers for 25 years. Joseph then assisted her with her own care during the later years of her life, arranging her legal and financial documents and helping her move to home care and assisted living as her needs changed.
Recently Published on Caring.com
-
For most Medicare Advantage plans (also called Medicare Part C) there is no need to re-enroll every year. If your mother wants to remain with the same plan she has, she do...
-
As a registered nurse, can I get Mom's insurance company to pay me for her home care? — Dec 07, 2010Whether you can be paid, by private insurance, to care for your mother at home depends entirely on the terms of the insurance policy. The fact that you are an RN may make ... -
Do I need Medicare Part B if I am an active employee over 65 with health coverage through my employer? — Dec 07, 2010With most employer-sponsored health plans, you don't need to enroll in Medicare Part B medical insurance while you're still an active employee. However, whether it's a goo... -
Even if you are relatively satisfied with the Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage plan that you now have, at the end of each year (between November 15 and December 31) you m... -
Your mother won't have her Medicare coverage affected in any way if she pays you for the roof. Someone's assets and expenditures have nothing to do with the right to Medic... -
The key to whether owning your house will affect your Medicaid or SSI eligibility is whether you live in the house. Both Medicaid medical coverage and Supplemental Securit... -
Is there financial assistance for prescriptions co-pays? — Nov 17, 2010If your father is on Medicaid in a nursing home, there is no reason for him to have to pay these high drug costs. If he is also enrolled in Medicare, he is eligible for a ... -
Which prescriptions will Medicare Part D cover? — Nov 16, 2010The specific prescription drugs a Medicare Part D plan covers depends entirely on the particular plan you enroll in (though every plan must cover at least one drug in all m... -
Fortunately, there's a special rule that will help you keep your house if and when your sister needs long-term care coverage from Medicaid. A basic Medicaid rule is that i... -
Will Medicaid include social security income as an asset? — Nov 16, 2010Social Security benefits are not exempt from Medicaid consideration as income. When your sister applies for Medicaid, her state's Medicaid program will look at both her inc... -
FAQ: What Are Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B Premiums, Deductibles, and Coinsurance Amounts for 2011? — Nov 15, 2010Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts change each year for Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B. (For people who receive their Medicare hospital and medica... -
You can rest easy. Medicare does NOT seek repayment, through attachment of assets or claims against an estate, of any amounts it spends for medical care. Like many folks,... -
If I'm on disability but have good employer group health insurance, do I have to take Medicare? — Oct 23, 2010The answer depends on the fact that Medicare does not consider all employer-sponsored insurance the same. If you had employer-sponsored insurance from current employment, ... -
Medicare Part B can pay for ambulance transportation to and from a patient's home only in very limited circumstances. Normally, Medicare Part B does not cover routine trans... -
Medicare Part B will pay 100 percent of the cost of an annual flu shot if provided by any medical provider who's licensed to administer the shot and who participates in Med... -
Can Medicare deny future coverage for similar issues if Mom signs herself out of a nursing home? — Oct 08, 2010The fact that your mother's doctors or the nursing home are not ”signing her out" to leave the nursing home serves two purposes. One, they are formally letting your mother... -
How often will Medicare cover podiatry office visits? — Oct 08, 2010Medicare Part B medical insurance does not have a how-many-times-per-month or how-many-times-per-year rule about covering podiatry services. Medicare's basic rule about foo... -
Can I enroll in Medicare at any time when my wife loses her employer group health insurance? — Oct 07, 2010Since you're well under retirement age, it sounds like you're describing a situation in which you'll become eligible for Medicare not because you turn 65 but because of you... -
Will Medicare cover a hospital stay for dental work? — Oct 07, 2010You're stuck in that no-man's land between medical care (which Medicare covers) and dental care (which Medicare doesn't cover). If your oral surgeon is not a physician, wh... -
You can collect Social Security survivors benefits as early as when you turn age 60. However, the amount you receive varies greatly depending on whether you begin collecti... -
Should I enroll in Medicare Part A even if I don't retire? — Sep 30, 2010A lot of people work past the age of 65, and some of them -- like you -- have health insurance coverage through their employer. It sounds like you will also continue to ha... -
Can we prove money gifted by Mom was used for her care when Medicaid reviews her look-back period? — Sep 27, 2010You've got a complicated -- but not necessarily a bad -- situation concerning your mother's future eligibility for Medicaid coverage of nursing home care, involving a Medic... -
If a Medicare patient is readmitted to the hospital, does she have to be discharged from PT/OT? — Sep 18, 2010You're asking a question that's really about a medical decision, not about Medicare coverage. If a patient's outpatient physical therapy and occupational therapy (PT/OT) i... -
If my brother gives away his inheritance, will it affect his Social Security disability and Medicaid? — Sep 18, 2010The rules for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and for Medi-Cal, which is California's Medicaid program, are completely different, so let's take them one at a ... -
Yes, Medicare Part A will pay part of your hospital bills even if you also have work-related insurance. Which coverage pays first -- Medicare Part A or your private, employ...
