Where you live can have a major influence on the long-term care benefits you might qualify to receive from Medicaid.  Since Medicaid is in large part funded by state and local dollars, and administered under state law, the state in which you reside will determine whether and how you can qualify for benefits, and the scope of the benefits that may be available to you. 

New York has a particularly generous Medicaid program, probably more than any other state.  If you are anticipating the need for long-term care, access to the Medicaid program and its benefits may be an important factor to consider if you are thinking about where to reside in your “golden years.”  

You do not want to find yourself in a situation where you are paying out-of-pocket for ruinously expensive long-term care services, and rapidly depleting your life’s savings.  Especially since, in New York, with proper planning you can protect your savings and still qualify for Medicaid benefits.

The lure of retiring to and residing in a state with a warmer climate, for example, needs to be balanced against your ability to afford care if you live there. You may want to investigate whether you could qualify for Medicaid, and the benefits and services available in the state where you think you would like to live.  

In the end, you may find that it’s to your best advantage to stay in New York, or to move back here if you’re now living elsewhere. You’ll then have access to the most well-funded Medicaid programs in the entire country, as well as a wide choice of high-quality long-term care facilities and providers, top doctors, and other health care resources.