Who qualifies
Seniors who need nursing home, assisted-living, or home-care help and meet state income/asset limits (typically $2,000 in countable assets for the applicant; spouse can keep more).
What you get
Pays for nursing home care (covered in every state) plus, in most states, Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers covering personal care, adult day services, and assisted living.
Tips that matter
Medicare does NOT cover long-term custodial care. Only Medicaid does. Assets transferred within 5 years can trigger a penalty period — plan early. Spousal-impoverishment protections let the at-home spouse keep up to ~$3,948/month income and ~$157,920 in assets (2026).
How to apply
Apply through your state Medicaid agency. An elder-law attorney is usually worth the fee for cases over $50K in assets.
State-level help on top of this
Most states layer their own programs on top of this federal one — pharmacy assistance, property tax relief, state Medicaid waivers. Pick your state to see what's available where you live.