Stock dividend exceed Medicare limit

I wasn't sure where to put this post since it doesn't seem to apply to anything.

My grandmother who is on Medicare recently received a $4,000 dividend from a distant relative's oil stake somewhere in Texas. She has gotten these for the past few years but it wasn't nearly as big--only a couple hundred dollars. The problem is that this has put her past some $10,000 limit for Medicare. They've told her that if she doesn't spend most of it right away, she will lose her Medicare benefits. Is there anything smart that she could do with the money? Like, can she give it away as a gift? To a relative?? Thanks for any info you can give.

Are you sure you are talking about Medicare, and not Medicaid?

Medicare does not care what your income is. Medicaid is administered by each state, and is designed specifically for lower income people.

If your grandmother is signed on with both programs, it is certainly possible to lose Medicaid, but keep Medicare. Since each state runs Medicaid differently, there are no general answers that will help you here.

However, typically $4000 in income can be spent on rent and utilities for your home, and some state Medicaid programs take into consideration your housing and utility costs when determining your eligibility. You need to find out what other costs they will take into consideration, and see if you can find any such costs that your grandmother never declared before.