Do children have to pay for parents in nursing homes?
About 30 states have laws on the books that say adult children are responsible for the financial support of indigent parents. In some states this includes nursing home costs. These laws are so rarely enforced that many people believe adult children have no legal obligation to pay for their parents care, but that is technically untrue in the majority of states. There have been recent changes in federal law that might affect how those state laws are enforced. In 2006, President Bush signed into law a bill that will cut billions from health care for seniors. This new law includes a penalty that is much more severe than before for people who give away or transfer their assets to qualify for federal benefits. Under the old law, the penalty periodthe period during which the senior will not be eligible for federal nursing home benefitsbegan to run when the assets were transferred. Now, the penalty period doesnt begin to run until the senior has run out of assets and is in need of a nursing ho
