As a caregiver, I now think much more about planning for my own healthcare needs in my elder years. Does anyone have a good experience with long-term care insurance? Is it worth it?
If you use a reputable insurance company and your loved one has assets or a business, or has offspring they want to inherit anything then this is the way to go. I know several people that did benefit from having this type of policy and getting a term rider with it. If you get a term rider on the policy it will pay back most of what you put into it after 15 years or so, and you can continue the policy then without the term rider. Be sure to check into a term rider with a good company.
My dad took out LTC coverage when my mom passed away when he was 73 since he figured he would have to be cared for in a facility when the time came. His policy paid out $59,000 for 11 months of assisted living before he passed away at 90 years old and having that coverage gave him some peace of mind. Saying that he probably paid more in premiums than he received as a benefit. My husband and I sold a property and we have put the profits in an account to be used for our long term care needs, sort of a self insurance. That made mor sense for us.
I’d say the answer entirely lies in the situation you find yourself in, which can’t be predicted as life throws us all curves. My parents had LTC insurance only on my mom, they couldn’t afford it on both and the person who sold it to them said women more likely use it. When she required NH care it kicked in and paid. It was mind blowing how fast it ran out completely, full time nursing home is just that much, even with them taking her SS check also. It was quickly needed for my dad to get her on Medicaid. She spent years on that. So for them, all the LTC insurance did was postpone the time until Medicaid. I can see it working better in other circumstances but it was a waste for my parents.
Similar situation here but with both my parents being on LTC insurance. The good it did was to get them into a very nice ALF under private pay as their money was spent down. Many places that take Medicaid require a year, two years, or even four years of private pay before they’ll take Medicaid. There’s no way we could have afforded two years of private pay without the LTC benefits.
Mother got scammed. She paid $1,000 per month, for 14 years for LTC with private duty Nurses Aids if she should need it, to the Senior Facility where she also bought her apartment and then they went bankrupt. She lost the equity in her apartment and LTC insurance. Be careful that you use an insurance Co. and not a package with the Senior Facility.
I have a life insurance policy that has a long term care rider. If needed, I can use up to $2000/month (amount varies based on the policy amount) to assist in long term care. The down side is that you can only use it up to the amount of the policy and it pulls from the value of the policy. My husband and I will not be able to qualify for Medicaid based on our retirement benefits. Long term care isn’t affordable for us, so this is our best option. Plus with LTC, if you pass away before you need to use it, the money is gone-like car or house insurance if you never file a claim. With this insurance policy at least my beneficiaries will receive the amount of the policy. Hope this offers an alternative solution.
However, the next on the chopping block after the tax cuts is cuts to Medicaid and Medicare so I'm not counting on that. My plan is to accumulate a stockpile of lethal drugs..if I am lucid enough to take them. If you want to be cared about in this country, be very wealthy or an embryo.
One thing to be aware of is that the veteran has to have served during an “active period of war”, so during the Viet Nam War, Korean War, etc., even if they served stateside, it’s OK as long as it was during a war time. If their service ended one day before or began one day after a war time, they do not qualify. (Learned this the hard way.) Also serving in reserves, etc., does not count.
We had LTC insurance and had been paying the premiums for 4 years. The premiums have gone up 35% in that time so we canceled!! As we are in our mid fifties, we decided to cancel it and put that money in our retirement fund instead. Full time nursing care runs $17,000/month in my area. No joke. My mom is in that facility, on Medicaid. No other way to do it. Less and less insurance companies are offering LTC policies because more and more people are using their LTC insurance and it just isn't profitable to the insurance companies anymore. If we decide to get it later, we will pick a policy that has an equity portion.
I've been looking into too. It doesn't seem worth it. And there are restrictions of when you can begin to use it. I think the asset based plans make more sense, but they are more expensive. There's more freedom to use the money when you want though, and benefit left for your family if you pass away. Talk with several agents. I will say how nice it was for a friend when his mom had Alzheimer's he was able to place her in a nice facility without worrying about cost because she had long term care insurance.
I live in assisted living with my husband who has LBD with Parkinson's. I needed more help with him than I could get at home. I thank God everyday for our Long Term policy. It pays $7000 a month for us to stay together for five years. I've claimed it for only him, and should we need it, can claim it for me for an additional five years.
Long term policies have a spending limit. They are good because they WILL pay for home sitter services. However, know the spending limit. Once in a nursing home they will use up the insurance which will be followed by Medicaid. On the average a single nursing home patient is about $90,000 a year. If you can afford it, do it. However, I can't afford it since I'm already spending $700 a month (with a $6,860 deductible) for ordinary Obamacare (that's the cheapest "most affordable" policy I can find). Since I am not eligible for any kind of subsidies being a caregiver (my mom is a full time job and is unpaid) I'm exhausting my savings just for my own healthcare for insurance I never use. I keep Obamacare because you never know what can happen and a single day in the hospital can run a million dollars very easily. Healthcare in America is very hyperinflated and nobody seems to care. Medical science keeps people alive it's no longer unusual to live in the 80's and 90's. Meanwhile Alzheimer's is sharply on the rise -- and the Federal government cannot cope. Did you know Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security entitlements cost the Feds half of the entire budget. The US Military is about 16% of the entire budget including overseas involvement. With aging baby boomers sharply rising..and people living forever..we are doomed.
I'm sorry, but medicare & social security are NOT entitlements. My parents paid into it & my Mother receives it. I hv been paying into it since I was 17 years old & am 55 now. NOT AN EMTITLEMENT!!
It depends. Currently helping someone using LTC INs to fund her stay in a nice Assisted Living Facility. Private funding is required for many of these facilities. If it happens that you will need assistance in your senior years, then I believe it is definitely worth it. Depending on the level of care, these facilities can cost from $3000 thru $9000 currently. I am sure this cost will rise. Wishing you wellness.
If you can easily qualify for Medicaid, then you don't need long-term care insurance. If you have your financial ducks in a row and are fully funding your retirement accounts each year, then look into getting a policy.
Please look into eligibility if spouse or loved one is a veteran there is assistance for home care or assisted living.
nice Assisted Living Facility. Private funding is required for many of these facilities. If it happens that you will need assistance in your senior years, then I believe it is definitely worth it. Depending on the level of care, these facilities can cost from $3000 thru $9000 currently. I am sure this cost will rise. Wishing you wellness.