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Guide · Elder law · Updated June 2026
Michigan Medicaid Planning: How to Protect Your Assets
Long-term care is expensive, and Medicare won’t cover most of it. Here’s how Michigan families protect what they’ve saved.
Nursing-home care in Michigan can run thousands of dollars a month. Medicaid planning helps you qualify for coverage while preserving as much as possible for your spouse and family.
Medicare vs. Medicaid for long-term care
This trips up almost everyone: Medicare covers only short, limited stays. Long-term custodial care is generally covered by Medicaid — which has strict income and asset limits.
Michigan’s five-year lookback
Michigan reviews asset transfers made in the five years before a Medicaid application. Gifts or transfers during that window can trigger a penalty period — which is why timing and proper structure matter so much.
Strategies that can help
- Certain irrevocable trusts that remove assets from your countable estate when set up early.
- Protections that preserve income and the home for a spouse who remains at home.
- Properly structured transfers and spend-downs that follow the rules and avoid penalties.
Start as early as you can
The sooner you plan, the more options you have. But even “crisis” planning — when care is already needed — can often protect some assets.
Medicaid rules are unforgiving and easy to get wrong. An experienced Michigan elder law attorney is well worth it here.
Protect what you’ve worked for
Get matched with a Michigan elder law attorney who knows the rules — free, no obligation.