subject: Long-Term Care Insurance – Vital Questions You Need to Know [print this page] Long-Term Care Insurance Vital Questions You Need to Know
Long-term care insurance is an indispensable part of a balanced retirement plan. Not everyone requires a long-term care plan, but it is important to educate yourself in the various plans that are available so you can decide if you would make a good candidate for such insurance plans. A normal retirement home would cost anywhere from $70,00 per year to keep it running in good condition and the number of years one would need to spend in such nursing homes depends on the medical condition of each person. For instance, someone who is afflicted by stroke would probably need less than two years of care and someone with Alzheimer's may need up to four years of care.
Long-term care policy insurance can help you meet the financial needs of getting into such nursing homes without burdening your children and depleting your own estate to do so.
There are many things you need to consider when choosing a long-term plan. Basically the higher the daily benefit is, the higher the premiums you would pay. It is important to choose a balance between the daily benefits and the cost involved.
A typical stay in the nursing home takes around three to five years so make sure your long-term care provides you with enough coverage to accommodate this. When choosing the right plan, it is important to refer to your own family history and how the elderly members thrive during the golden years; do they live to a ripe old age of 90? Are they subjected to issue such as dementia and needs intensive care for the last three or four years? You can opt for unlimited benefit when choosing a long-term care but this would subject you to very high premiums to enjoy such benefits.
The elimination period refers to the amount of deductible that is stated in the insurance policy. The insurance company will not begin paying until a certain number of days are over. Medicare normally pays after 20 days. Some policies starts with a 30-90 day elimination period and your insurance company will not begin paying until after the period is over. The longer the elimination period the cheaper the premiums will be. If you want to save cost of getting long-term care, consider getting a longer elimination period. Chances are you can afford these cost easily. The ones that are going to cause some issues are the long-term plans and that can be easily compensated with a good insurance plan.
