What this guide will cover
Paying for care is the question families ask first and understand least. This guide is being written to walk through every realistic funding source, in the order families usually encounter them, with Montana-specific detail rather than national generalities.
- What assisted living actually costs in Great Falls and across Montana, and what a published median does and does not include
- Private pay - income, savings, pensions, and the role of a home sale
- Montana Medicaid and the Big Sky Waiver: what it can pay for, what it cannot, and the waiting list
- Veterans benefits, including VA Aid and Attendance
- Long-term care insurance - how to read a policy before you need it
- What Medicare does and does not pay for, and the traps inside the skilled nursing benefit
- Free, unbiased local help - and who to call first
Private pay
Planned: how most families actually fund assisted living, how to think about drawing from savings over a multi-year horizon, and the questions to ask a home about rate increases and what is included in the monthly fee.
Montana Medicaid and the Big Sky Waiver
Planned: how Montana's Section 1915(c) waiver works, the level-of-care requirement, why room and board is excluded from waiver coverage, and how the waiting list affects planning.
Veterans benefits
Planned: a short overview of VA Aid and Attendance, with a link to our fuller guide for Great Falls veterans.
Long-term care insurance
Planned: what triggers a policy to start paying, elimination periods, benefit caps, and the documentation families are usually asked for.
Where to get free help in Great Falls
Planned: Cascade County Aging Services, Montana SHIP's free Medicare counseling, and the long-term care ombudsman - all free, and none of them selling anything.
In the meantime
While this guide is being finished, our team is glad to walk your family through what care costs here and what it includes, with no obligation. Call BeeHive Homes of Great Falls at (406) 205-4516.