Question 1

How much can a healthy spouse keep if their partner needs Medicaid-covered nursing home care in Minnesota?

Accepted Answer

Under Minnesota's Community Spouse Asset Allowance (Minn. Stat. 256B.059), a non-applicant spouse can generally protect between $32,532 and $162,660 in assets (2026 federal figures), plus a Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance of income ranging from about $2,705 to $4,066.50 per month, depending on their own income and housing costs.

Question 2

What is Minnesota's Medical Assistance Estate Recovery Program, and can the state take my parent's house?

Accepted Answer

Minnesota's Estate Recovery Program (MERP), under Minn. Stat. 256B.15, lets the state file a claim after a Medical Assistance recipient's death (and, if married, generally after the surviving spouse's death too) to recover what MA paid for long-term services and supports. Minnesota's program can reach beyond the probate estate to jointly held property, life estates, transfer-on-death deeds, and revocable trusts, so common probate-avoidance planning doesn't automatically shield a home.

Question 3

What is Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

MSHO is Minnesota's voluntary integrated managed-care program for people 65+ who are enrolled in both Medical Assistance and Medicare Parts A & B — it combines Medicaid, Medicare, and Part D benefits into one coordinated plan with a single care coordinator. Plan availability varies by county and by year, so families should confirm which MSHO health plans currently serve their specific Twin Cities county.

Question 4

What does assisted living cost in the Twin Cities?

Accepted Answer

Minnesota's statewide median for a private one-bedroom assisted living apartment is cited at roughly $6,573/month in third-party sources referencing the CareScout Cost of Care Survey — figures that could not be independently verified against CareScout's own published tables during this research and should be confirmed before relying on them. CareScout publishes state-level figures only, not a Twin-Cities-specific median, and metro-area facilities likely run above the state figure given regional cost of living.

Question 5

Is there a published cost for memory care in Minnesota?

Accepted Answer

No. CareScout, the primary industry cost-of-care survey referenced for Minnesota figures, does not survey memory care as a separate category, so there is no verified statewide or metro median memory-care rate to cite. Any specific memory-care dollar figure circulating online should be treated as unverified.

Community	Care type	Address	County
North Memorial Health Hospice	Hospice	3300 Oakdale Ave N Robbinsdale, MN 55422	Hennepin
Saint Therese of Oxbow Lake	Assisted Living	5200 Oak Grove Parkway Brooklyn Park, MN 55443	Hennepin
J.A. Wedum Residential Hospice	Hospice	9350 Noble Pkwy N Brooklyn Park, MN 55443	Hennepin
Cerenity Senior Care – Marian	Assisted Living	225 Frank Street St. Paul, MN 55106	Ramsey
Episcopal Church Home	Nursing Home	490 East Lynnhurst Ave St. Paul, MN 55104	Ramsey
Shirley Chapman Sholom Home East	Nursing Home	740 Kay Ave St. Paul, MN 55102	Ramsey
Benedictine Living Community-New Brighton	Nursing Home	1101 Black Oak Dr New Brighton, MN 55112	Ramsey
Our Lady of Peace	Hospice	2076 St. Anthony Ave St. Paul, MN 55104	Ramsey
Optage Home & Community Services	Home Health & Home Care	2845 Hamline Ave N Roseville, MN 55113	Ramsey
St. Croix Hospice – Eagan	Hospice	2121 Cliff Drive, Suite 101 Eagan, MN 55122	Dakota
St. Croix Hospice – Blaine	Hospice	9380 Central Avenue NE, Suite 300 Blaine, MN 55434	Anoka
Saint Therese of Woodbury	Assisted Living	7555 Bailey Road Woodbury, MN 55129	Washington
Superior Hospice	Hospice	800 Boone Ave N, Suite 194 Minneapolis, MN 55427	Hennepin

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