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Is Medicaid Going Away?

Is Medicaid Going Away? By Ethan R. Okura & Carroll Dortch   There has been a lot of political changes in the federal government over the past year. With a Republican president in office and a Republican majority in Congress, some people are concerned about...

Must I Pay for My Parent’s Nursing Home Bills?

One of the frequent questions that we hear at Okura & Associates is: “Will I be responsible to pay for my mother’s (or father’s) nursing home expenses?” This can be a scary thought for a working adult who can’t physically provide care...

Hawaii Real Property Tax Exemptions

Did you know that there are some exemptions that you can employ to save on your property taxes in Hawai‘i? One of the most commonly used exemptions is the real property tax exemption for homeowners. If you own a home in Hawai‘i, your property tax exemption is based on...

Legislative Update: New Elder Care Laws Passed

Recently, the Hawaii State Legislature passed two bills that affect our elderly population and their health care. One was Senate Bill 534, the Kupuna Caregivers Act; the other was House Bill 1396, Relating to Community Care Foster Family Homes, both of which were...

AHCD vs. POLST vs. HIPAA

One of the most important things you can do as part of your estate planning is authorizing someone to make decisions on your behalf in the event you become incapacitated and can’t make decisions for yourself anymore. This person whom you authorize is called your...

THE BEST NURSING HOME IN HAWAII

Last month we talked about the different types of nursing homes and long-term care facilities available in Hawaii. We covered ARCH, Adult Foster Homes, and Nursing Homes. There are also assisted-living facilities, which we did not discuss, but which are an important...

THE THREE TYPES OF NURSING HOMES

We have had hundreds of clients over the years who have gone to nursing homes to provide for their care as they aged. Some of them lived full, rich, engaged lives in the nursing home until the very end. Others suffered from severe physical disabilities or dementia...

UPDATING OLD ESTATE PLANS

Spring is in the air! So what does that mean? It’s time for spring cleaning; time to get rid of all the junk that accumulated over the past year; time to deep clean the house and freshen it up. It’s also time to clean up and update that old estate plan! Remember that...
Asset Protection and Fraudulent Transfers

Asset Protection and Fraudulent Transfers

As you may be aware, the United States is one of the most litigious countries in the world. This means more people sue each other in court in the US than almost anywhere else. We have one lawyer for every 252 citizens in the US, as compared to only one lawyer for...
2017 ESTATE PLANNING UPDATE

2017 ESTATE PLANNING UPDATE

Happy New Year!  Here is the 2017 update on important numbers used in Estate Planning and Medicaid Planning in Hawaii. How much money and property can a person have at death without paying estate taxes? At the end of 2012, Congress passed a law making the exemption...