No Medicare does not cover full long term care expenses, although it may provide limited assistance for nursing or home health care. But after a limited period of time, you are on your own. This is one of the misconception why people tend to ignore getting long term care (LTC) insurance, they think that medicare and medicaid will cover ltc services. If you are recovering from a certain condition, medicare will help you pay it for a limited time, medicare is more of health care than custodial or personal care - which is covered by ltc insurance. It is a government program to help pay for ltc. Here is a more detailed information: http://goo.gl/LkrvNb
A lot of people are still confused whether federal long term care programs such as Medicare. It provides coverage but not for the core of long term care which is assistance in activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, toileting and the likes. So relying solely on Medicare isn't safe enough if you will most likely need extensive long term care at home inside a facility. It's best to consider purchasing a private insurance to cover your long term care expenses in the future.
If I wasn't clear - Do not get LTC insurance unless you have enough income to pay for it for the next 15 to 20 years. People of modest means just plain can't afford it, and if you stop paying, it will be wasted money.
LTC insurance is very expensive. I'm 66, in good health, and my insurance costs over $2000 a year for a medium amount of coverage. It can go up over the years. So unless you know that you will be able to keep up the payments, put the money in a CD so you can use it to pay for it yourself.
For many people, they start out paying for Assisted Living or a nursing home themselves, use up all their money, and then apply for Medicaid, which is available for people with assets less than $2000.
If you are married, your house will be exempt until the second spouse dies, but then Medicaid will want to be repaid from the equity in the house.
If you have significant assets, but not enough to pay $60,000 to $100,000 a year for NH care year after year, you should consult an elder law attorney about how to preserve some of your assets without losing Medicaid eligibility. It is complicated, and if you don't do it right, you can end up responsible for funding your own care when you don't have any money left.
It is not usual for Medicaid to pay for Assisted Living, but many if not most people in nursing homes are on Medicaid.
When it comes to long term care, people would either dismiss it or plan for it. For those who plan for their LTC needs, they either enroll themselves in a policy of beef up their savings and assets in order to cover their costs. These people also have alternatives in place when it comes to planning for their LTC needs. The people who dismiss long term care planning often have the notion that government programs such as Medicare will pay for their long term care needs. But does Medicare cover long term care insurance? Here are some myths and truths debunked.
Myth #1: Medicare will pay for long term care - The sad truth about Medicare is it will only cover your long term care on a limited basis. If you are injured or sick due to a fall or stroke but are expected to get better, Medicare will cover the costs of you staying a nursing facility. However, this would be for a limited time only until your conditions improve or until it can cover costs. But for those who would be needing daily custodial care and living in a nursing facility due to chronic illness or condition, Medicare would not be able to cover for this.
Myth #2: Medicare will pay for hospice care - Does Medicare cover long term care insurance especially when it comes to hospice care? This is true. Hospice care is making the patient comfortable as possible as they enter the final stages of their terminal condition. You would become eligible for coverage if you are no longer receiving treatment for your terminal condition and is expected to survive no longer than six months. For Medicare to cover this, the doctor would have to confirm that the patient is terminally ill and would require hospice care.
Myth #3: Medicare will cover people from all ages - For people thinking that Medicare will cover any person at any age for long term care, they have it wrong. To become eligible for Medicare you would need to be 65 years old and above. However if you are not yet 65 years old, you would need exhibit to have certain conditions that would meet their requirements. People can be covered for Medicare if they have permanent kidney failure that would require them to undergo dialysis treatment or kidney transplant. So if you don’t meet these requirements, you would have to find alternatives sources.
So in the end, does Medicare cover long term care insurance? The answer is both a no and a yes. It’s a no because it would not provide coverage if you need daily custodial care or a stay in a nursing home if you have no present illness or condition. However, long term care will only pay for LTC costs if you are 65 years old and above and need to recover from a broken bone injury. You would also get coverage if you have kidney failure and would need to undergo dialysis or kidney transplant.
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For many people, they start out paying for Assisted Living or a nursing home themselves, use up all their money, and then apply for Medicaid, which is available for people with assets less than $2000.
If you are married, your house will be exempt until the second spouse dies, but then Medicaid will want to be repaid from the equity in the house.
If you have significant assets, but not enough to pay $60,000 to $100,000 a year for NH care year after year, you should consult an elder law attorney about how to preserve some of your assets without losing Medicaid eligibility. It is complicated, and if you don't do it right, you can end up responsible for funding your own care when you don't have any money left.
It is not usual for Medicaid to pay for Assisted Living, but many if not most people in nursing homes are on Medicaid.
Myth #1: Medicare will pay for long term care - The sad truth about Medicare is it will only cover your long term care on a limited basis. If you are injured or sick due to a fall or stroke but are expected to get better, Medicare will cover the costs of you staying a nursing facility. However, this would be for a limited time only until your conditions improve or until it can cover costs. But for those who would be needing daily custodial care and living in a nursing facility due to chronic illness or condition, Medicare would not be able to cover for this.
Myth #2: Medicare will pay for hospice care - Does Medicare cover long term care insurance especially when it comes to hospice care? This is true. Hospice care is making the patient comfortable as possible as they enter the final stages of their terminal condition. You would become eligible for coverage if you are no longer receiving treatment for your terminal condition and is expected to survive no longer than six months. For Medicare to cover this, the doctor would have to confirm that the patient is terminally ill and would require hospice care.
Myth #3: Medicare will cover people from all ages - For people thinking that Medicare will cover any person at any age for long term care, they have it wrong. To become eligible for Medicare you would need to be 65 years old and above. However if you are not yet 65 years old, you would need exhibit to have certain conditions that would meet their requirements. People can be covered for Medicare if they have permanent kidney failure that would require them to undergo dialysis treatment or kidney transplant. So if you don’t meet these requirements, you would have to find alternatives sources.
So in the end, does Medicare cover long term care insurance? The answer is both a no and a yes. It’s a no because it would not provide coverage if you need daily custodial care or a stay in a nursing home if you have no present illness or condition. However, long term care will only pay for LTC costs if you are 65 years old and above and need to recover from a broken bone injury. You would also get coverage if you have kidney failure and would need to undergo dialysis or kidney transplant.