Long Term Care & Long Term Care Insurance

Long term care is a topic that seems to pop up in conversations I have with many people.  It is also a subject that has a lot of confusion, and often high emotion.  Let’s distinguish between Long Term Care and Long Term Care Insurance. 

Click Here for an Infograph on Long-Term Care

Long Term Care is assistance for people who are unable to take care of themselves for one reason or another.  The individual is not necessarily sick in the normal sense of the word.  Their condition can be the result of an accident, dementia, physical disability, or it may be because the individual is old and/or frail.  The individual may have a cognitive impairment associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases. 

A term often used in connection with describing the individual’s condition is that he/she is unable to perform the activities of daily living (ADLs). 

Generally, the condition they are experiencing is one they are not expected to recover from, but this is not always the case. 

Long Term Care can be obtained anywhere: the home, an adult day care center, a relative or friend’s home, etc.  It may be full-time or part-time.

Long Term Care Insurance is an insurance contract that pays some, or all, of the expenses associated with obtaining Long Term Care.  Depending on the type of insurance contract, this insurance will pay for services in a senior living facility, a home, or a nursing home.  Often the insurance is comprehensive, which means it will pay for care at the patient’s home and in a facility.

Long Term Care Insurance can be triggered if you are unable to perform 2 of the 6 activities of daily living and under the care of a doctor.

The Long Term Care Insurance policy has several elements that include:

• The Benefit
• Elimination Period
• Coverage Triggers
• Inflation Protection and other “riders”
• Renewability
• Non-forfeiture

There are several considerations relating to long term care and long term care insurance.  The decisions of how to approach care and insurance requires a good deal of thought and should not be taken lightly.  If long term care insurance is the right decision for you, find a trusted insurance agent or broker and make sure you understand what you are buying.

–Harold Sasnowitz-