Hawaii Long-Term Care Planning

Effective planning in Hawaii starts by separating two different questions: income and assets. The state's 2026 MAGI-excepted chart sets a $469 monthly medically needy income level for a one-person aged, blind, or disabled household, alongside asset limits of $2,000 for one person and $3,000 for two. Hawaii's spenddown regulation is what lets someone with income above that $469 threshold — but with real incurred medical expenses — still qualify, which is exactly why income planning and asset planning need to be handled as separate tracks rather than lumped together.

For married couples, Hawaii sets the community-spouse resource allowance at the federally indexed maximum, though that figure can be adjusted upward through a court order or a fair hearing if circumstances call for it. None of this should be estimated from a rough, informal split of a joint bank account — the income allowance and the actual resource division both need to be calculated from current published figures and real ownership records.