My spouse requires nursing home care. What can I do if my spouse and I can’t afford it?

Many couples in this situation apply for Medicaid benefits. In Massachusetts, Medicaid is administered by MassHealth. In order to qualify for MassHealth nursing home benefits, an individual may only have $2,000 in countable assets. For married couples, the institutionalized spouse may only have $2,000 in assets and the community spouse may only retain a certain amount of countable assets, called the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA), which is adjusted yearly. As of 2023, the CSRA is $148,620.