Why Long Term Care Must Be Considered

By William Thomas

The worst case scenario when it comes to a person’s health is that they must give up their independence and learn to rely on others. That’s where long term care comes into play. But what are the costs and what can a person expect?

Losing your independence is a terrible thing and can happen quite suddenly. It can involve lengthy medical care or unskilled care in the form of getting help getting dressed, going to the bathroom or taking a shower. When healthy, people take these things for granted. But for the elderly and disabled, these little things can suddenly be taken away.

Many people expect that in the end of their lives, the government and its many pension plans will cover their costs. However, this is not the typical case at all. Even in progressive countries such as those in Europe, care for the sick or disabled or elderly isn’t commonplace, and the burden falls to family and friends or even volunteers. It’s much better to be prepared rather than get caught off guard and have no one to turn to.

Medicaid as a resource requires that eligibility for services be proven, and these requirements include a person’s private resources and finances. Medicare as a resource does not cover custodial or nursing home care, nor does it cover unskilled non-medical care from friends and family. Many Nordic countries have acknowledged their own government’s limitations to provide services, and so have fallen back on paying the people who take care of the elderly anyways. Family and friends can be compensated by the government for their expenses and can even receive pension plans of their own.

Over twelve million Americans are currently in long term care facilities or receiving it at home. Five million of this number are people who are working-aged adults who are no longer able to contribute to society fully. People insure their cars, their houses and prepare their estates in the event of their death. But not enough people are considering the possibility that they may need longer term care in their own home, care not covered by the government.

There are three things a person should know when they are ready to purchase long term care insurance. One is that the sooner it is done, the better. Adults in their fifties should still be fit enough to pass a medical exam if an insurance company requires one. Also, premiums picked up at this age are going to be lower. Another thing to note is that when a plan is purchased, the annual premiums will not be raised should your health change after the purchase. It’s locked in. And a third thing to keep in mind is that although the policy comes into play when long term care is required, there is a sixty to ninety day elimination period during which it is not active. Given that the typical daily cost of a facility is $150, be prepared to cover this initial stay yourself.

The elderly population is expanding and growing, as is expected as world populations increase and our ability to keep people alive longer grows. The numbers are daunting but the important thing to remember is that there is a great deal of information to be found as well. It’s important to plan for long term care for the ‘just in case’ scenario, rather than fall back on people who you hope want to take care of you but may have their own lives and needs. Knowing you can protect yourself before it happens is important.

Before you go out and buy a policy go to Long Term Care Insurance, ask questions and request a long term care insurance quote. We represent 20 of the top LTCi providers. This gives you tremendous options.

categories: insurance,long term care insurance,baby boomers,seniors,health,financial,retirement,family,long term care,financial planning,lifestyle,education,consumer guide,asset protection

Article kindly provided by UberArticles.com

Topics: Miscellaneous | Comments Off

Tags: asset protection, baby boomers, consumer guide, education, family, financial, financial planning, health, Health Insurance, Insurance, lifestyle, long term care, long term care insurance, retirement, seniors

Reprint Rights

Comments are closed.