Medicare-Medicaid Pay-Down of Assets
State law and regulations impose income and asset limits on persons applying for Medicaid.
The income limit for the institutional Medicaid program and certain home and community-based waiver programs is determined by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) and through the South Carolina Healthy Connections program. For 2025, the maximum Medicaid income limit for aged, blind, or disabled persons is $1,305 for individuals and $1,763 for couples.
Regarding assets, the value of those resources cannot exceed $2,000. Assets excluded from this calculation are homes, automobiles, life estate interests in real property, household goods, and personal effects, undivided interests in heirs property, money set aside for funeral costs (up to $1,500 for individuals and $3,000 for couples), and the cash value of life insurance policies if the value of all policies is $10,000 or less.
Any asset is subject to a look-back period of 60 months before the person is institutionalized and has applied for Medicaid. If the institutionalized person or his/her spouse disposes of assets for less than fair market values on or after the look-back date, there will be a penalty period where the individual will be ineligible for certain Medicaid services. Those services include nursing facility services, a level of care in an institution equivalent to nursing facility services, and home and community-based services.
South Carolina Healthy Connections: Medicaid: Frequently Asked Questions
South Carolina Healthy Connections: Medicaid: Individuals in Nursing Facilities and/or Receiving Home and Community-Based (Waiver) Services
South Carolina Healthy Connections: Medicaid: Program Eligibility and Income Limits