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How Families Pay for Senior Care

Private pay, Indiana's PathWays Waiver and RCAP, VA Aid and Attendance, and long-term care insurance.

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How families pay for care. Indiana's PathWays Waiver pays for care services, RCAP pays for room and board, and VA Aid and Attendance can help veterans and surviving spouses. Read the full explanation →

Questions families ask

Is Indiana's Medicaid expansion (HIP) the same as long-term care Medicaid for seniors?

No. The Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Indiana's ACA expansion effective February 1, 2015, covers adults 19-64 based on income. Long-term-care Medicaid for seniors uses a separate, non-MAGI aged/blind/disabled eligibility pathway with different asset and income rules. The two are frequently and incorrectly conflated.

Is there a waitlist for Indiana's PathWays Waiver?

Yes, historically. At the program's July 2024 launch, 9,015 people were on the PathWays waiting list statewide out of 39,842 total slots. Current waitlist figures change; confirm today's status with CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions, the Area Agency on Aging serving this region.

What is Indiana's Medicaid Estate Recovery Program?

Indiana's Medicaid Estate Recovery Program (MERP) recovers amounts Medicaid paid on a recipient's behalf after age 55, from probate and certain non-probate assets. As of July 1, 2025, the state has 9 months after death to file a claim, and recovery does not proceed while a spouse survives or a child is under 21, blind, or disabled.

What does assisted living cost in Indianapolis?

The CareScout Cost of Care Survey publishes a statewide Indiana median only -- $5,639 a month for a private one-bedroom in 2025 -- not an Indianapolis-specific figure. Local pricing likely differs from the state median in either direction; ask each community for its current rate.

What does memory care cost in Indiana?

There is no published memory-care median for Indiana or any other state -- CareScout does not survey it as a category. Any memory-care price you see quoted online is an estimate or an extrapolation, not a sourced figure. Get quotes in writing from each community instead.

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