I am married. What happens if my spouse has to go to a nursing home?

For calendar year 2017 in Massachusetts, the spouse of a nursing home resident is allowed to keep $120,900.00 of countable assets. In addition, the nursing home resident is allowed to keep $2,000.00. Therefore, the total amount of countable assets that a married couple may keep is $122,900 in 2017. These numbers typically increase slightly each year. A married couple with assets under this amount is eligible for MassHealth without spending down assets. There are also stategies for a married couple with more than the allowed amount above in countable assets to still qualify for MassHealth in certain circumstances. In addition, for a married couple, certain assets are considered “non-countable” in this assessment process, such as the primary residence, an automobile and an irrevocable prepaid funeral contract.