Wong v. Tam, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case # BC541794.
In this case, the plaintiff and defendant agreed to purchase a property for their elderly parents (presumably they were brother and sister). According to a declaration by the defendant:
"At a wedding reception in December 1999, plaintiff told the parties' parents and siblings that their parents would need to divest their assets in order to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid and suggested they and defendant buy a home in a new senior living community in Walnut, California. Defendant expressed interest in purchasing a home in that community because it would allow him and his wife to use the home when he retired or earlier in order to live closer to their children. He and his father also said they were open to purchasing the home provided it was not sold for the lifetimes of the parents' children and "hopefully" their grandchildren, which stemmed from the Chinese cultural tradition of passing family homes through generations. With that understanding, defendant, plaintiff, and their parents orally agreed that defendant and their parents would pursue buying a home."
This declaration is wildly inaccurate in terms of qualifying for benefits, i.e. the parts in bold
Medicare, the medical insurance program for the elderly, is an entitlement. If you earn enough credits, you are eligible to receive it. It makes no difference whether you are a billionaire or living a meager existence. If you pay for it, you get it. It is as simple as that.
Conversely, "Medi-Cal," the name California uses for the federal program known as "Medicaid," is a medical insurance program for the poor and disabled. Medi-Cal is not an entitlement. Essentially you have to be poor and/or disabled to qualify for it. Therefore, Medi-Cal is described as a needs-based public benefit.
While the case did not turn on benefits eligibility, it does demonstrate the defendant's ignorance of the law on this topic. This can be particularly damaging because of the legal adage "ignorance of the law is no excuse." A person is stuck with their mistake, whether they knew the law or not. This can be a sobering reality for the legally uninformed.
