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My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 4 yrs ago and has been on Medicaid since then. My husband and I moved out of state for his job 2yrs ago and my mom stayed living in Missouri with a friend. That situation has come to an end and mom is set to move down to Florida with me and my family in January, when she turns 65.
So, here are my questions: Do we HAVE to wait until January 2014 for her to move down to Florida? (will Medicaid transfer states?) How and when can she apply for Medicare? Also, since she will be living with us, how do I make sure my husband's income isn't taken into account for HER living expenses? - we do NOT need a financial burden on top of caregiving and Dr. appts too. The medicine she is on is extremely expensive and there is NO way she will be able to afford it.
Just feeling very overwhelmed by moving her into my house, making sure she gets her necessary treatment - she is still having chemo and radiation, changing Doctors and all the expenses on top of it! ugh
any help greatly appreciated.,
Thanks, Beth

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Medicaid, however, is state to state mandated services (administration of it may vary, state to state). Being prepared is forearmed. Check with your local Elder Care agencies to see what is available, be sure that DPOAs for financial and health matters are completed, etc. 99% of this information is available online, both on this website (just run some searches, you'll find lots of answers already here), and at the official government sites. One resource I've recently discovered is P.A.C.E. (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) .. it's available in Florida.

Best of luck, and keep us up-to-date with how you're doing.
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She can apply for Medicare through her local Social Security office. Now is when that should start. You can call your county social services office to seek info on Medicaid that may be available in FL, the application and/or transfer process. I'd suggest you begin the inquiries immediately. The new health care initiatives go into effect in January and the agencies will be overwhelmed. Good luck
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Medicare is a FEDERAL program just like social security it is the same state to state.
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I had to start looking at Medicaid for my mom, though we ended up not needing it and the answer is that residency and other requirements can vary state to state. Between the emotions of the situation the the sheer amount of paperwork, rules, and regs you have to deal with, no wonder you feel overwhelmed. Typically, if you don't get Medicaid right away, you are deemed Medicaid Pending and when you finally get it, it covers back to when you became that. But, check your state websites and local Medicaid and Area Agency on Aging offices for help.
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It is a lot to deal with. I just wanted to wish you well.
God bless you and yours
L
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Everyone had great advice. I do know that in Iowa, only a few counties are covered by PACE. Is there a social worker or case manager at her current hospital who can help with finding answers to some of your questions? My sister had a cancer care coordinator whose sole job was to help people in this situation. Also, if she is on Medicaid, she should qualify for some free legal advice. I'm sure someone on this site is going to know a lot more about this...I wish I had more specific answers, but I don't, I'm so sorry that you are going through this hard time and I will be thinking of you. Please keep us updated.
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