That is when you go into long term care or nursing homes that your assets are reduced. The so-called "clawback" provision, the asset-recovery provision of Medicaid, was enacted in 1993 by Congress in response to rising Medicaid administrative costs. States were compelled to try to recover costs from the estates of the deceased who used the program for long-term care, either via liens placed on an individual's home or claims on their assets. There was also an option for states to recover other routine medical care expenses. The expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act made more residents eligible for Medicaid. The state and federal government as of February 2014 have not clarified clawback guidelines, triggering complaints from consumers and advocacy groups from the uncertainty
There are 66 million on Medicaid counting the CHIPs program. They won't be paying anything back. Medicaid is single payer health insurance run by the states with federal and state funding. Here is a sample card.
