How to Get Ahead Before the Nursing Home Crisis Hits Your Family-A Critical Follow-Up to My Previous Newsletter

The safety nets are burning. This is your blueprint to protect your family and survive what’s next.

How to Get Ahead Before the Nursing Home Crisis Hits Your Family-A Critical Follow-Up to My Previous Newsletter

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #400

Following my previous article on the Republican Bill that is currently dominating the airwaves, I realized there was something I hadn’t included. Something highly relevant to JHN subscribers. (I know this because the demographics show me.)

Let me tell you something straight, no sugar-coating. If you’ve got aging parents…and if the words “nursing home” or “long-term care” have even tiptoed into your family’s conversations…then please pay attention right now.

Because the bill they just passed…that Trump will sign into law tomorrow… the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” is about to pull the rug out from under millions of families just like yours.

I’m not talking about some far-off problem. I’m talking about you scrambling to find a place for your mom or dad and realizing the doors are slamming shut...the costs are sky-high…and the safety nets you thought would be there have just been torched.

You don’t have years to figure this out. You don’t even have months. They just lit the fuse…and the bomb is ticking.

If you think, “OMG. There’s nothing I can do…I’m totally screwed!,” please read on.

Sure, it’s ugly…but I’ve built my life on revealing the raw truth of situations to people…(critical) and then addressing their fears by showing them a game plan.

There is nothing better for alleviating anxieties than having a plan…and then getting to work on it.

By the end, you’ll see that I offer a plan.

It’s not a magic fix. There isn’t one for this. It is, however, a plan to get you started and heading in the right direction.

But first…that facts…the ugliness…and the truth you need to know now.

How Trump’s "Big Beautiful Bill" Will Hurt Families Facing Nursing Home Costs:

1. Medicaid Cuts = Fewer Beds, Stricter Access

• Medicaid funds more than 60% of nursing home care in the U.S.

• Trump’s bill slashes Medicaid by billions over the next decade.

• Fewer facilities will accept Medicaid patients.

• Stricter work requirements and eligibility reviews will push more people off Medicaid rolls.

Translation:
If your parents rely on Medicaid to cover long-term care…they may not qualify—or the beds simply won’t be there.

2. Rural Nursing Homes Will Close

• Rural hospitals and clinics are already closing…nursing homes are next.

• Medicaid cuts are a death sentence for small-town elder care facilities that survive on slim margins.

Translation:
If you live in rural America, your closest care options may disappear, forcing you to transport your parents hours away…if you can find a bed at all.

3. Private Nursing Homes Will Prioritize Cash-Pay Patients

• As Medicaid reimbursement shrinks, private nursing homes will favor families who can pay out-of-pocket.

• Medicaid slots will get scarcer. Waiting lists will grow.

Translation:
If you can’t pay privately (which can run $7,000–$10,000 per month), you’ll be competing with thousands of other desperate families for limited spots.

4. More Families Will Face Bankruptcy-Level Costs

• With Medicaid harder to access, more middle-class families will burn through life savings to cover care.

• Nursing home “spend down” requirements will strip wealth, leaving spouses or siblings financially exposed.

Translation:
Families will be forced to sell homes, drain retirement accounts, and take on crushing debt just to keep their parents cared for.

5. Family Caregiver Burden Will Explode

• As facilities close or fill up, families will be pressured to care for elderly parents at home.

• This can force adult children (especially women) to leave their jobs or cut work hours…amplifying financial strain.

Translation:
Expect more unpaid family caregiving and career sacrifices…not by choice…but by necessity.

6. Quality of Care Will Drop

• Facilities that do survive will be financially squeezed.

• Lower Medicaid reimbursement → staff layoffs, poor staffing ratios, and increased risk of neglect.

Translation:
Even if you can place your parent, the quality of care may be worse.

What You Should Be Doing Right Now: Planning, Strategizing, and Getting Ahead of This Mess

Okay, now that you’ve had your gut check…let’s get to the part that matters—what the hell you can do about it.

Because if you sit around waiting for the system to save you… you’re gonna get steamrolled. But if you start moving now…today…you can outmaneuver this beast.

Here’s your battle plan:

1. Start Talking About It—Now. Not Later.

Most families kick this can down the road until it’s a full-blown crisis.
Don’t be that family.

Call your siblings. Call your parents.
Ask the hard questions:

• Where would they want to go if they needed care?

• How much have they saved?

• Do they qualify for Medicaid now—or will they soon?

• Have they set up a power of attorney or medical directives?

You can't plan what you don't talk about. And silence is how people get crushed by this.

2. Lock Down the Financial Game Plan

The goal is to protect family assets before Medicaid’s five-year lookback period kicks in.

You need to:

• Consult an elder care attorney. They know the Medicaid loopholes and asset protection strategies that can still work…if you act early.

• Consider trusts…gifting strategies…and spend-down plans that won’t bankrupt the entire family.

• Look into long-term care insurance if it’s still an option.

Bottom line: The system is about to make it harder to qualify.
You need someone who knows how to beat the system’s clock.

3. Scout Facilities Before You Need Them

Start visiting nursing homes now.

Don’t wait until you’re in a panic and the social worker hands you a list you’ve never seen.

Look at:

• Who still accepts Medicaid.

• Which ones have waiting lists (hint: most do).

• Which ones are at risk of closing in the next few years.

Get on those waiting lists early.
The day you need a bed is not the day to start Googling.

4. Ask About “Private Pay” Windows

Some nursing homes let you secure a bed faster if you pay privately for the first year—even if you plan to switch to Medicaid later.

If your family can scrape together enough to “private pay” for six to twelve months…it may be the difference between getting a bed close to home or shipping your parents to a facility five counties over.

5. Prepare for Home Care Backup

Let’s be real—you may end up being the care plan.
Facilities will get tighter. Beds will get fewer.

Start building:

• A support network of family and friends.

• Home care resources.

• Backup options if the facility path slams shut.

Consider adult day care…in-home nursing visits…and local caregiving support groups.
You can’t do it all yourself…but you can prepare to hold the line longer if you must.

6. Stay Loud, Stay Active

Call your reps. Show up at town halls.
Make noise about Medicaid…rural hospital closures…and elder care cuts.

You’re not just fighting for your parents.
You’re fighting for the whole damn system that’s being gutted right under your nose.

Final Thought:

This bill is brutal—but it’s not a death sentence if you out-hustle it.

Start the conversations. Lock down the money moves. Scout your options. Get on the lists. Build your network.
Do it now—because waiting is how you lose. Planning is how you win.

And if you think you’re the only one scrambling? You’re not. You’re just the one who’s going to be ready.

My family just dealt with this. My mother, who passed last October, was a picture of health at 78 years old. Many guessed her aged to be between 60-65.

Then, one day…BOOM; a massive stroke left her unable to walk, feed herself, and impaired her speech significantly. She required full, round-the-clock care.

In the last year of her life, her long-term care bill each month was covered by Medicaid. That bill, by the way, was $7,000 a month.

I know I didn’t have the extra $84,000 a year to handle that. Medicaid allowed my mother to get the care she deserved right up until she took her last breath…on her 80th birthday.

Many of you reading this likely won’t be so lucky when you face the care of your parents.

So, once again…I implore you to start thinking…and planning…now.

If you do, it won’t have to be a total disaster…and may even work out better than you thought it would.

If you’ve been finding value in these articles…if you appreciate that I’m not just here to shout about the problems…but to lay out real…actionable solutions you can actually use…then I’d love for you to consider becoming a paid subscriber.

It’s the best way to support this work and make sure I can keep digging…keep writing…and keep giving you the tools to fight back and get ahead. If this helps you, if this keeps you informed, if this gives you an edge…you can help keep it going.

I’ll be back soon…with even more.

Chin up…and eyes on what you want to accomplish!

Jack