What happens if I can't afford long-term care?

What happens if I can't afford long-term care?

Karl Steinberg (Associate Medical Director, Sharp Mission Park Medical Group) gives expert video advice on: What is the 'Sandwich Generation' in regard to long-term care?; Who can help me make decisions about long-term care?; Why is long-term care such a hot issue right now? and more...

If you or I or anyone is unable to pay for long-term healthcare or long-term care in any kind of a setting, it's a difficult situation. Usually, what ends up happening is you go through whatever assets you do have, you spend down essentially and then you can qualify for Medicaid, and that's assuming that you have enough care needs to qualify. Otherwise, some people end up homeless, some people end up living in shelters, and things of that nature, and there are elderly people who end up in exactly those situations. They're just a little too healthy to qualify for a nursing home, but a little too sick or a little too poor to be able to live in the community. Those are difficult issues and situations.