Ohio couples forced to divorce - to afford health care

Ohio couples forced to divorce

Created: 3/1/2006 5:31:44 PM
Updated:3/2/2006 2:18:54 PM

COLUMBUS -- Some happily married couples are faced with no choice but to divorce, just to get affordable health care.

Dave and Chris Crawford were married 42-years when Dave developed dementia and had to move to a nursing home.

But, after 18-months, Chris couldn't afford the care and middle class families like the Crawfords can't get help from Medicare. So they were forced to divorce, because if they separated their assets, Dave could qualify for Medicare.

"I knew in my heart that it would be just a matter of a piece of paper," Chris Crawford said. "I knew in the eyes of God and church that I was still married to him. I was not going to change in the way I took care of him, even though he was in the nursing home."

http://www.wkyc.com/news/health/health_article.aspx?storyid=48612

estate? Since he is sufforing from dementia he can't rewrite his will...?

probably equals the money goes to gov't.

Not sure of facts as I am many km away but sounds like how your gov't works.

The usual statutory rule is that divorce automatically invalidates any provision in a will in favor of the spouse. The former spouse can be the beneficiary of a will made after the divorce, however.

Since he suffers from dementia and can't revise the will, other estate planning strategies such as the liberal use of joint tenancy with right of survivorship would be necessary to ensure that property passes to the former spouse.

nt

More like 'Money Values' than family values anymore...

If you plan to leave what you have to your grown kids, START NOW.. You should see a real estate/estate lawyer to see about "gifting" your assets to them while you are alive.. One never knows when an illness can happen, and there are long waiting periods these days due to the law changes, so if you trust your kids, why not "sell" them your home and then "rent" it from them.

5-10 yrs down the road, one of you (for a couple) might need help, and if a nursing home claims your home for care costs ..(up to the worth of property) before any aid is available,. where does the "left-behind" spouse go then??

Bottom Line:
Its every person for themselves.

The formula for making the fast buck in a narcissist sadistic empire.

just to scrape by, didn't Bush say something about how great she was and how American it was?

Now, he can just repeat this in this case - how uniquely American.

just to scrape by, didn't Bush say something about how great she was and how American it was?

Now, he can just repeat this in this case - how uniquely American.

but they won't do crap to help her - and that is their job!

Fire the lot of em.