Ohio couples forced to divorce - to afford health care

[The Straight Story]

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

[Ecumenist]

1. Now that's a damn shame

[EC]

2. I wonder how this affects any wills or

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

[Random_Australian]

4. No will plus no spouse

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.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

7. Divorce and Probate

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.

[Nikki Stone 1]

8. Thanks. I was wondering about this

nt

[MiniMe]

3. Puts a new spin on "family values" and the marriage act, doesn't it?

[The Straight Story]

9. Indeed

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

[SoCalDem]

5. If you are 50 or over, GET BUSY NOW!!

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??

[Hippo_Tron]

6. There's good old Republican family values for you

[Broadslidin]

10. Who Really Gives A _____!

Bottom Line:
Its every person for themselves.

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

[NewJeffCT]

11. when that woman was working 3 jobs

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.

[NewJeffCT]

12. when that woman was working 3 jobs

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.

[The Straight Story]

13. They don't mind someone like her working 3 jobs to survive

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

Fire the lot of em.