We’ve written before about the unfairness of the Medicaid (MassHealth in Massachusetts) estate recovery system largely because it strikes those with the smallest estates without the sophistication and resources to hire elder law attorneys to avoid or reduce its impact. It acts as one more barrier to the intergenerational transmission of wealth by minority families and less wealthy ones of all races.
With increased recognition of the harmful and unequal impact of Medicaid estate recovery, the campaign to convince Congress to repeal the law has been growing. As part of this effort, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has awarded a grant to the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) to fund research into the impact of Medicaid Estate Recovery.
NAELA has asked its members to collect stories about how estate recovery has impacted their clients and others in their communities. Margolis Bloom & D’Agostino is part of this effort. If you or a family member has been impacted by estate recovery, please let us know. You can contact me at hsm@margolisbloom.com.