What do I do when Medicare is about to run out for my father?

Help him apply for Medicaid, or apply for him, immediately. Even if it seems that he's "over the limit," he may qualify anyway. That's because he may be able to "spend down" the amount that he's over the Medicaid eligibility limit by paying that amount to the nursing home, with Medicaid paying the rest. To find out where to apply for Medicaid in your state, go to the Govbenefits.gov pagethat lists Medicaid programs by state, and click on the information for your state.

You can get excellent, free help with the Medicaid process from the counselors at the office nearest you of the non-profit State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) or Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). To find a local office, contact the central office for your state listed on the Helpful Contacts pageof the Medicare-Medicaid web site.