subject: Long Term Care Insurance – A Sure Bet in an Unsure Economy [print this page] Long Term Care Insurance A Sure Bet in an Unsure Economy
Upon closer inspection though, smart money says Long Term Care insurance has never made more sense. The uncertainty of the financial and real estate markets is the exact reason an already shrewd purchase is now almost mandatory. Reality is about 50% of us will end up in a long-term care situation. We all know the statistics, so let's concentrate on the logic of buying now. Most experts agree that, in time, our real estate values and our investments will recover. History tells us that is the case. But, how much time? The problem is our health can change in an instant, ready or not. Unexpected sicknesses and injuries happen every single dayRegardless of the economy. An uninsured LTC claim has always been a costly mistake, but never as costly as it would be today.
Suddenly, a loved one has a stroke and needs constant care at home or in a facility at an average cost of $70,000 per year. Where does that money come from? You guessed it, from your assets. Now, the uninsured family must liquidate their investments (and more than likely, lock in their loss) and use those reduced funds to pay for care. If the claim wipes out the investments, the house must be sold for a fraction of it's real value, and those reduced funds used to pay the LTC expenses. The uninsured claim is no longer merely costly, it is catastrophic.
A properly designed policy from an experienced LTC planner will allow your investments to stay in the market and keep your home off the market. Healthy or on claim, you will have truly ensured your hard earned investments, and your real estate will be disposed at your discretion, not at a fire sale. Remember, the government has made it clear this is your bill. We will grow old (hopefully) and our health may falter, that is unavoidable. But a catastrophic situation, as mentioned above, is self-inflicted and totally preventable.
