"Medicaid Protections for the Healthy Spouse"

"Medicaid law provides special protections for the spouses of Medicaid applicants to make sure the spouses have the minimum support needed to continue to live in the community while their husband or wife is receiving long-term care benefits, usually in a nursing home.

"spousal protections"

...if the Medicaid applicant is married, the countable assets of both the community spouse and the institutionalized spouse are totaled as of the date of "institutionalization," the day on which the ill spouse enters either a hospital or a long-term care facility in which he or she then stays for at least 30 days. (This is sometimes called the "snapshot" date because Medicaid is taking a picture of the couple's assets as of this date.)

In order to be eligible for Medicaid benefits a nursing home resident may have no more than $2,000 in assets (an amount may be somewhat higher in some states).

In general, the community spouse may keep one-half of the couple's total "countable" assets up to a maximum of $119,220 (in 2015). Called the "community spouse resource allowance," this is the most that a state may allow a community spouse to retain without a hearing or a court order. The least that a state may allow a community spouse to retain is $23,844 (in 2015).

Example: If a couple has $100,000 in countable assets on the date the applicant enters a nursing home, he or she will be eligible for Medicaid once the couple's assets have been reduced to a combined figure of $52,000 -- $2,000 for the applicant and $50,000 for the community spouse.

Some states, however, are more generous toward the community spouse. In these states, the community spouse may keep up to $119,220 (in 2015), regardless of whether or not this represents half the couple's assets. For example, if the couple had $100,000 in countable assets on the "snapshot" date, the community spouse could keep the entire amount, instead of being limited to half.

The income of the community spouse is not counted in determining the Medicaid applicant’s eligibility. Only income in the applicant’s name is counted...

But what if most of the couple's income is in the name of the institutionalized spouse and the community spouse's income is not enough to live on? In such cases, the community spouse is entitled to some or all of the monthly income of the institutionalized spouse. How much the community spouse is entitled to depends on what the Medicaid agency determines to be a minimum income level for the community spouse. This figure, known as the minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance or MMMNA, is calculated for each community spouse according to a complicated formula based on his or her housing costs. The MMMNA may range from a low of $1,966.25 to a high of $2,980.50 a month (in 2015). If the community spouse's own income falls below his or her MMMNA, the shortfall is made up from the nursing home spouse's income.

Example: Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a joint income of $3,000 a month, $1,700 of which is in Mr. Smith's name and $700 is in Mrs. Smith's name. Mr. Smith enters a nursing home and applies for Medicaid. The Medicaid agency determines that Mrs. Smith's MMMNA is $2,000 (based on her housing costs). Since Mrs. Smith's own income is only $700 a month, the Medicaid agency allocates $1,300 of Mr. Smith's income to her support. Since Mr. Smith also may keep a $60-a-month personal needs allowance, his obligation to pay the nursing home is only $340 a month ($1,700 - $1,300 - $60 = $340).

In exceptional circumstances, community spouses may seek an increase in their MMMNAs either by appealing to the state Medicaid agency or by obtaining a court order of spousal support.

http://www.elderlawanswers.com/medicaid-protections-for-the-healthy-spouse-12019
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"The home, a car and all personal possessions are not countable resources.

Program For All-Inclusive Care For The Elderly (PACE)

PACE provides care to the individual in the home, such as in-home personal care services and home health care.  PACE provides a PACE Center that includes a primary care clinic, therapy, personal care, and dining.

To be eligible to participate in PACE, you must be:

55 years of age or older;
Be determined to need the level of care required under the State Medicaid plan for coverage of nursing facility services;

Reside in the PACE organization’s service area;

Be able to live in a community setting at the time of enrollment without jeopardizing his/her health or safety based on criteria set forth in the program agreement and meet any additional program-specific eligibility conditions imposed under its respective PACE Program Agreement.
Only public and not-for-profit organizations may develop and operate PACE programs. They are certified through the Federal government. Currently there are 10 PACE sites in North Carolina.

When a Medicaid recipient receiving any of the above long-term care services dies, Medicaid seeks to recover certain expenses. There will be a claim filed against the estate.

 http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/medicaid/ltc.htm

THINK IT OVER is unacceptable.

YES is acceptable.

NO is acceptable.

THINK IT OVER is unacceptable.
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Would you like to become a client?
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"Let me take a quick minute and tell you why I'm here, and then you can decide if we should talk further."
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"Let me take a moment to share how these meetings usually go. We'll meet for about an hour. I'll have a lot of questions for you, and I'm sure you'll have questions for me. At the end of about 40 minutes, we should both know whether there's anything I can do to help you or not. If it turns out we're not a fit, that's okay. If we do agree that I can help you, we'll figure out what that looks like then. Does this make sense?"
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"Thanks for inviting me in." Oh, yes, inviting you in. Who do we invite in? Guests! They're going to treat you better simply by saying this! "I want to take a quick minute and go over what we'll be doing here today. We'll sit down and talk about your business for about an hour. I'll have a lot of questions for you...and I'm sure you'll have questions for me. At the end of our discussion, we'll both know whether or not I can do anything for you; if not, that's all right. Neither of us will be mad at the other. If so, then we'll figure out what that might look like then. Does this make sense?"
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"Has anything changed that I need to know about today?"
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They can ask you to leave the room while they discuss your proposal.

Re: One-call Close

1. Entry

2.Warm up (spend 15 minutes small talking, even if forced)

3. Measure (complete measure of everything, pointing out details)

4. Company story (sell the HO on your company and sell them off others)

5. Kill Alternatives (sell them off the competitors products)

6. Demo (sell them on your product)

7. Pre-Close (this tackles "think about it's" right before they ever start, and preps them for the one call discount).

8. Close (handling objections and closing)

9. Warm Down (spending 20 or so minutes after you've written everything up)

10. Replace the lead (getting referrals to call).
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You need something. I have it at with a company that has a good reputation, with a person you trust, a product you believe in, at a reasonable price, that I made affordable for you.....what the hell is missing? Oh......you're scared.

Scared that you've been blinded by my stunning charm and witty personality so you can't see the huge mistake you're making, scared that your decision to move forward will put your family in financial straits, scared your friends and family will think you were taken and now you're a fool, or scared that there's more for less...
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The best closes to use to overcome them are the ben franklin close and the reduce to ridiculous close. The way to close a think it over objection is to convert it to a price objection, then close on price.

...the only real way to one call close is to offer a discount that is only good for that night ONLY.
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Re: One-call Close
They are all going to be somewhat different...

1. Meet & Greet
2. Warm-up
3. Needs Analysis
4. Company Credentials
5. Product Demo
6. Measure
7. Pricing and ROI
8. Negotiations
9. Paperwork
10. Cool Down
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I like working them to a point where they hate the way things are now, would love to have what I'm offering, and are seated at attention ready for the price.

Sales Statements

(First name of prospect), I want to get a gauge of our conversation,
what are you immediate thoughts?"
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What makes the most sense to you today?
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I can understand why you would have no interest if you haven't first heard the benefits?
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"In the absence of knowledge your customers and prospects will always focus on price."
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"You're so expensive!"

"What or who are you comparing us to?"
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"I've heard others respond in the exact same way, but then when we sit down and compare similar products and services we are able to significantly (Insert a benefit statement here)."
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"What do you most like about (Insert the name of your prospect's vendor here)?

What do you least like about (Insert the name of your prospect's vendor here)?"
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"(Insert the first name of your prospect here), when you say that you don't want the hassle in switching, can you expand on that?"
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“This is the last time we’ll be able to extend this offer and we need your answer now.”
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“My boss told me that this pricing expires December 31 at midnight.”
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“I’ll talk with my boss and if he okays the terms, could we have the purchase order?
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“Our new price list is coming out next week, and I can’t hold these current prices for you after that.”

When a prospect is not interested then you could pose the "What if" question.

Let's say you sell home security alarm systems and your prospect says,
"I don't need an alarm, I have a dog!"

You could then respond with a "What if" question and say the following:

"What if an intruder knows that you have a dog
prior to their break-in
and then comes prepared to handle your dog?"

Every time you hear an objection
just pose the "What if" question and suggest an alternative scenario
that could make their perceived reality a nightmare situation.

Close the sale using future expectation.

Ask the customer if you were able to do “x” would they in turn buy it because of “y”.

You can either close the sale
or understand better what is keeping the customer from making a decision.

Ask the customer to do something for you.

One of the best ways to know if the customer is truly interested
is by asking them to be involved in the buying process.

An example of this is to ask the customer to look at some information
and then to respond to you with their opinion.

Customers who are serious will do this.

Customers who have limited desire will not see a reason to respond.

This is a very effective technique you can use
not only when a call stalls out,
but also to verify if a prospect is really a sales prospect or isn't.

Ask the customer what is keeping them from making a decision now, and regardless of how they answer, ask them to further clarify their decision.

Your objective is not to challenge their thinking
by being in their face.

Rather, the approach is to be sure both you and the customer
are in agreement as to why no decision is being made.

Similar to the second point,
knowing this allows you to understand how to proceed.

Close the customer on a couple of key features and benefits they do like.

By getting the customer to agree with you
as to what it is they’re looking for
and a few of the key features and benefits,
you will be armed now with information to follow up.

“Let me think about it?”

Say Nothing

When they tell you they want to think about it, say nothing.

That’s all there is to it.

Just wait patiently.

Silence creates a vacuum and most people get uncomfortable with the silence.

After two or three or four seconds, most people feel the compelling need to fill the void with words.

Discipline yourself to hold your tongue for a few seconds.

Typically, the client will elaborate on the “let me think about it” objection and this often uncovers the real objection.

For example, they might explain that they have to speak to their boss or their partner. Suddenly you discover another player in the game.

They may reveal that they are looking at other proposals and now you know you are in a competitive situation. Or they may simply not be interested at all.

In any event, you have more information upon which to base your next step.
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Probe for Legitimacy

Empathize with the prospect and then to go on and question to determine if the objection is legitimate or a smokescreen.

Prospect: “Hmmmm. Let me think about it.”

Rep: “I understand completely.

If I were in your shoes I’d want to think about it as well.

“May I ask what concerns you still have?

Or “May I ask what’s causing you to hesitate?”

or “May I ask what questions I’ve left unanswered?”

or “May I ask what your final decision will be based on?”

Needless to say, this type of probing gets the prospect to open up and to help you determine if the objection is real or otherwise.
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I am Not Sure I Understand

When the client explains that she would like to ‘think about it’
pause for a second or so and then slowly say,
“I am not sure I understand.”

The trick here is delivery.

Be subtle and use the tone of your voice
to show surprised confusion, not belligerence.

Do not utter a word.

Let silence do its work.

When the prospects hear the confusion in your tone
they almost automatically feel the compelling need
to ‘come to your rescue’
and elaborate further on their hesitancy.
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“what concerns so you still have?

“what’ is causing you to hesitate?”

“what is your number concern about not proceeding further?”

“what will your final decision will be based upon?”
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“Fair enough. But John, we’ve spent a bit of time reviewing your situation
 and there seems to be a good fit.

Please level with me, “What’s holding you back?”