Medi-Cal Planning | Paying For Long-Term Care | Share Of Costs

What Is "Share Of Costs?"

If a Medi-Cal recipient has monthly income, he must help pay for the cost of his care. The amount contributed by the Medi-Cal recipient is called the “share of cost”. How much a recipient will have to contribute depends on his/her income and marital status.

Unmarried Persons

An unmarried person is allowed to keep a personal allowance of $35 from his monthly income. The person will also be able to deduct the amount of health insurance premiums paid monthly. The remainder of the person’s income will be paid to the nursing facility and is referred to as the “share of cost”.

Married Persons

A married Medi-Cal recipient is able to keep a personal allowance of $35 from the couple’s combined income plus the amount of health insurance premiums that will be paid monthly. The at-home spouse of the Medi-Cal recipient, who is referred to as the "Community Spouse," is also allowed to keep up to $2,610 (for 2008) of his/her individual monthly income. This is called the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA). If the Community Spouse does not have income on his/her own that is at least equals the MMMNA, the Community Spouse may take all or a portion institutionalized spouse's income to make up the shortfall between the Community Spouse's monthly income and the MMMNA.  Any remaining income must be paid to the nursing facility as the “share of cost”. Like the CSRA, the couple’s circumstances may require a larger MMMNA and an elder law attorney can help obtain a court ordered increase in the MMMNA for his client.

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