An update of a 2007 survey of health in America again ranks Mississippi last among all states and the District of Columbia in quality of health.  Among the reasons cited were poverty in the Mississippi delta and Mississippi's high rate of obesity, which ranks Mississippi as the nation's fattest state.  Among other interesting facts, the […]

The Clarion Ledger report that a business partner of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair has asked the court to block the sale of McNair's interest in the restaurant that the two were partners in, and to instead shut it down.   Raymond White filed a motion Monday in probate court to stop attorneys for McNair's […]

Citing low reimbursement rates, Mayo Clinic has announced that effective January 1, 2010, it will no longer accept Medicare and Medicaid patients.  Story.  That is interesting, given that Mayo is one of the models pointed to by the administration for results-based treatment.  It will not have any impact on Mississippi Medicaid recipients, since Mayo does […]

In meeting with a probate client, I am reminded how important it is in planning an estate not to forget the flexibility of a disclaimer.  In this case, the decedent's Will provided for a family bypass trust — a technique used to utilize the decedent's federal estate tax exemption equivalent in order to avoid paying […]

While sitting in Hinds County Chancery Court this morning waiting to see the judge, I ran across an old friend representing an estate that is a good example of what happens when proper planning is not done.  His client died at age 44, leaving behind a wife and two minor children.  He owned a business […]

The Mississippi AG along with AG's from 29 other states, has sent a letter to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services asking that it suspend its current state by state nursing home rating system.  Under the current rating system, nursing homes within a state are compared against one another for various criteria on a […]

Steve McNair's two oldest sons have gone to court demanding their share of his estate. Steven L. McNair Jr. and Steven O'Bryan McNair filed claims Thursday in the Probate Division of Davidson County Circuit Court.  Steve McNair did not have a will, and his estate will be divided under Tennessee's intestacy law.  The estate is […]

Solomon tells us that "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."  Proverbs 15:22.  To this, the Mississippi Division of Medicaid would add, "…until Medicaid taketh away."  The Mississippi Division of Medicaid has circulated a directive to all of its regional offices instructing case workers to only allow up to $2,000 […]

Recently the Mississippi Division of Medicaid has decided to spend taxpayer dollars to engage in a campaign informing people that they don't need to hire a lawyer to file a Medicaid application.  I thought I might suggest other "'I'm from the government and I'm here to help you" type of advice. "If Your are Charged […]

An interesting article on myjourneytomillions.com explores whether handwritten wills are valid, and whether individuals are better off drafting a handwritten will than they are using a do-it-yourself service like legalzoom, or hiring a lawyer.  In Mississippi, a handwritten will, which is called a "holographic will", is legal as long as it is completely in the […]