Originally posted 2/1/2018 and updated 2/28/22

Do you know how much you can own and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care?  Because Medicaid is a needs-based program, there are limits on how much you can own and still qualify for long term care (e.g., nursing home, adult family home, and some types of in-home care).  Some of your assets are “exempt,” and their value is not counted when you apply.  The most common types of exempt assets are a home, a car, personal effects, household effects, and prepaid burial plans.

An unmarried Medicaid applicant in Washington State can have $2,000 in “non-exempt” assets.  A married applicant and his or her spouse can have up to $61,890 in non-exempt assets between the two of them (this figure can be increased to $130,380 in certain circumstances).

There are ways that you might be able keep more non-exempt assets than the figures set out above, but you should consult a Medicaid planning attorney to see if any of these techniques apply to your situation.