You worked your whole life to pay off your home. You skipped vacations, made every mortgage payment, and dreamed of handing it down to your kids one day.

But here’s the part no one tells you: even if your home is paid off, it’s still completely exposed if it stays in your name.

The Hidden Risks to Your Home

Most people think that once their mortgage is gone, their home is safe. Unfortunately, that’s not how the system works. If your house is in your name — and you face a serious health issue, unexpected debt, or nursing home stay — your home could be used to pay those bills.

🎥 Watch: Can Medicaid really take your home after you die? This 45-second video explains how a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) works — and why the right plan can protect your home and savings.

Here’s how it happens:

• Medicaid Estate Recovery: If Medicaid helps cover your nursing home care, the government can place a claim on your estate after you die. That often means your home is sold to repay the state — even if you wanted it to go to your kids.
• Medical Debt & Lawsuits: One accident, one uninsured medical emergency, or one lawsuit can put your home at risk. And if it’s in your name, it can become fair game for creditors — even if you had no way to see it coming.
• Probate Court: Even if you have a will, your house will still go through probate — a public, time-consuming, and often expensive court process.

The Solution: A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT)

A MAPT is a special kind of irrevocable trust that moves your home out of your personal name while still letting you live there, maintain it, and even control who inherits it.

• Protects your home from Medicaid estate recovery
• Shields your home from lawsuits and creditors — as long as it’s done before anything happens
• Avoids probate and keeps everything private for your family

Medicaid won’t tell you this… but the state can come for your home after you’re gone.

With the right trust in place, they can’t touch it. Let’s protect your home before it’s too late.

🛡️ Protect Your Home from Medicaid — Schedule a Free Consult

But Timing Is Everything

Medicaid has a 5-year lookback period. That means the trust must be in place at least five years before you apply for long-term care assistance. Waiting until you're in the hospital or nursing home is too late.

Also — this only works if you own your home outright. If you still have a mortgage or home equity loan, this kind of trust likely won't work until that debt is cleared.

Is This Just for Wealthy People?

Not at all. This kind of planning isn’t about tax shelters or fancy loopholes — it’s about protecting your one major asset from being taken by the system. In fact, the families that benefit most from a MAPT are the ones who’ve worked hard, saved wisely, and want to leave something meaningful behind.

Ready to Protect What You’ve Worked For?

If your house is paid off and you want to make sure it stays in the family, a MAPT might be the right move — but it has to be done before anything happens.

Schedule a consult today and let’s talk about whether a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is right for your situation.

You don’t have to give up your home to qualify for Medicaid.

Learn how a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) works — and how it can keep your house in the family.

Find this article helpful? Go to our blog ozarktrustandestate.com/blog/

This post is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Estate planning strategies depend on individual circumstances and state laws.