If I move my mother in with me will it affect her Medicare/Medicaid status?
That is actually two different questions. One is about Medicare. A different question is about Medicaid.
Medicare pays no attention to your mother’s living situation, income and assets. (The only exception would be in the amount of her Medicare Part B premium if she were making more than $80,000 per year.)
Medicaid is different from Medicare. In order to qualify for Medicaid, your mother must have very low income and assets. If she moves in with you, your income and assets would not be counted in determining her Medicaid eligibility. But the value of the rent-free housing support, as well as food and clothing you provide her, might be considered by Medicaid when it determines her income for eligibility purposes. Whether such non-cash income would be counted depends on the eligibility rules for Medicaid in your state (each state is slightly different). To find out the rules in your state, contact your local Medicaid office. To find the local Medicaid office near you, contact the Eldercare Locator by phone toll-free at 800-677-1116, or in any online search engine you can type in the word Medicaid plus the name of your state.
