Long-Term Care Insurance

With most people living longer now, the need for long-term care insurance will likely become more pronounced. For instance, government statistics indicate that 40 percent of Americans over the age of 65 will eventually need some type of long-term care.

Today, a year in a nursing home can cost an average of $40,000. In some parts of the country, that cost can be $80,000 or more. Home health care costs are also extremely high — home health care services provided just three days a week can cost as much as $20,000 a year.

Long-term care is not normally covered by regular medical insurance. For instance:

• Employee group health and major medical plans provide very limited long-term care coverage.
• Medicare provides only limited nursing home and home health care coverage.
• Medigap, which fills in the gaps left by Medicare, does not extend coverage for long-term care beyond Medicare limits.
• And Medicaid requires individuals to spend almost all of their savings and assets before becoming eligible for nursing home coverage.

There are other benefits to long-term care insurance as well: In some cases, the premiums may be deductible for income tax purposes.

Long-term care insurance is a relatively new form of insurance coverage and, as a result, policies vary considerably in cost and benefits. This lack of consistency can make it difficult to compare these policies and make an informed choice; therefore, consider consulting with a professional to help you sort through the options.

These long-term care insurance policy features are generally considered the most important:

• Guaranteed renewable
  This ensures that you will be able to continue your coverage without undergoing additional medical exams.
  
  
• Flexible benefit triggers
  Benefit triggers cause the insurance company to start paying benefits. Your policy benefits should be triggered if you need assistance to perform at least two of the activities of daily living (ADL), which include bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, continence, transferring (for example, moving from a chair to a bed) and taking medication.
  
  Another trigger should be "cognitive impairment," which means coverage applies if you are mentally impaired, even if you are physically able to care for yourself.
  
  
• Home health care coverage
  Make sure your policy pays benefits for care at home as well as in a nursing home or assisted living facility. Policies that only pay for institutional care may force you to be institutionalized in order to receive benefits.
  
  
• Broad classification of nursing home care
  Make sure coverage is provided for any type of nursing home — skilled, intermediate care, respite or custodial care.
  
  
• Inflation rider
  An inflation rider will increase the daily benefit to keep pace with inflation. This feature is costly but protects you against the rising cost of long-term care.
  
  
• Company rating
  Make sure the insurance company is highly rated, indicating that it is stable and financially healthy — and thus able to pay your benefits when you need them.

Rates: Policy rates are generally affected by a number of factors, including your age, benefit period, amount of daily benefit, waiting period until the first benefit payment and policy features.

Long-term care insurance may be a solution for you if:

• You are concerned about protecting your assets and maintaining your financial independence.
• You do not want to depend on your family to care for you and you need to enter a nursing home or assisted living facility.
• You want to try to stay in your home should you require long-term care.
• You can afford the premiums for long-term care insurance.
• You meet policy restrictions, such as pre-existing medical conditions exclusions and waiting periods.

Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. Can Help

You have worked hard to gather your assets. Why take a chance that those assets will be severely diminished if you ever require long-term care services — either in your own home or in a nursing home? Look into the protection offered by long-term care insurance.

Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. has specialized since 1968 in helping people retire well. A Lincoln Investment financial representative looks forward to working with you to help make sure you have the right solutions to your investment and insurance needs now so that you will have financial security later — when you may most need it.