06/10/2026
š§± A nursing home runs a national median of $9,277 a month for a semi-private room, and Medicaid is how most families eventually pay for it.
To qualify, a single applicant must spend countable assets down to $2,000 in most states.
Several legal tools protect what is left, but each carries a mechanical rule that voids it if you miss it.
An irrevocable trust works only if it is funded more than 60 months before you apply.
A Lady Bird deed passes the home outside probate, so that property escapes estate recovery, but only in Florida, Michigan, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia.
A married couple gets more room: in 2026 the healthy spouse can keep between $32,532 and $162,660 in assets and up to $4,066.50 a month in income.
Estate recovery is the part most people miss, because after death the state can recover what it paid from your estate, including the home.
If your income sits just above your state's limit, a qualified income trust, sometimes called a Miller trust, can still open the door.
Most of these require an elder law attorney, and the fee is small next to the penalty period a botched filing creates.
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