According to an AARP survey, most HECM borrowers have liquid assets of less than $25,000.
This means that they could at some future point meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, a federal-state insurance program that covers a wide range of healthcare costs.   

To be eligible for Medicaid, your liquid assets generally must be less than $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple). But a fixed-rate HECM requires that you take all your available loan funds in a single lump sum at closing.

So if you put more than $2,000/$3,000 of that lump sum into a readily accessible account (savings, checking, money market, mutual fund, et.), you most likely would not be eligible for Medicaid - and other needs-based programs such as 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP).  
 

AARP's site says that if you receive Medicaid, "loan advances are counted as 'liquid assets' if you keep them in an account past the end of the calendar month in which you receive them. If
you do, you could lose your eligibility for these programs if your total liquid assets (for example, money you have in savings and checking accounts) are greater than these programs allow."

A Minnesota lender reports on a specific case,
and although it has some unusual features, it does show how eligibility can be denied. The lender also cautions about other ways that reverse mortgages can cause Medicaid ineligibility:  transferring assets to children,
and retaining loan funds past the end of the calendar month in which they are received.