Medicaid is a benefit program which is primarily funded by the federal government and administered by each state. Sometimes the rules can vary from state to state, which adds to the misinformation about what can be done to protect assets when qualifying for Medicaid. The information on my website is about Michigan's Medicaid program.

One primary benefit of Medicaid is that, unlike Medicare (which only pays for skilled nursing), the Medicaid program will pay for long term care in a nursing home once you've qualified. Medicare does not pay for treatment for all diseases or conditions. For example, a long term stay in a nursing home may be caused by Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, and even though the patient receives medical care, the treatment will not be paid for by Medicare. These stays are called custodial nursing stays. Medicare does not pay for custodial nursing home stays. In that instance, you'll either have to pay privately (i.e. use long term care insurance or your own funds), or you'll have to qualify for Medicaid.