Medicaid Liens

This policy brief is one of six commissioned by HHS/ASPE on Medicaid eligibility policies for long-term care benefits. This brief presents the fundamentals of Medicaid liens — what they are, why they are permitted, and how they are applied by state Medicaid programs. Liens are a tool that states may use to ensure their right to recover past Medicaid spending on the property owner's behalf when he or she, or certain close relatives, no longer needs the property. [11 PDF pages]