Setting record straight on Medicaid

In a letter from Pat Heise, she states what one spouse can keep when the other is in a nursing home, and says that Medicaid pays the nursing home costs "entirely." While Medicaid would kick in if the patient couldn't afford it, the healthy spouse would have to sign over any Social Security checks and pension checks to the nursing facility, and I believe the spouse would be given about $2,500 for the month to pay for bills, taxes, food, possibly a car payment or mortgage and his or her own health issues, drugs, doctor visits, etc.

I had an aunt in a nursing home for a while. On one visit she just couldn't wake up. A woman came in with her lunch, told her to open her mouth, which she did and the woman put a forkful of food in her mouth and left the room. My aunt was left with her mouth open and this food just sitting there. She couldn't chew it.

I ended up digging it out of her mouth myself before she choked on it. Nice care for about $5,000 a month or more. And just in case you think Medicare is free, my husband and I pay about $100 a month each for Medicare, and that's in addition to the over $300 we pay for Blue Cross every month.

I'm pretty sure Medicare isn't a mandatory thing, you can either pay for it or not have it.

Linda Kimsey

Streamwood