With the just-announced September 2015 Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) actually lower than the comparable figure in September 2014, the betting is that next year’s Medicaid’s spousal impoverishment figures and related numbers will remain the same as 2015.
In an email to his state colleagues in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Pennsylvania ElderLawAnswers member Robert Clofine points out that the last time the CPI-U was lower than the previous year (in 2009) , the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) did not adjust the Medicaid numbers downward but kept them level.
This means that the 2016 community spouse resource allowance (CSRA) should continue to be a maximum of $119,220 and a minimum of $23,844. The maximum monthly maintenance needs allowance should remain $2,980.50 a month and the income cap stay at $2,199. Medicaid’s home equity limits should also be unchanged at a minimum of $552,000 and a maximum of $828,000.
Regards,
Brian A. Raphan