Reasons Why People Should Invest in a Long Term Care Policy
- The government isn’t going to pay for long-term care at home, in a nursing home, or in an assisted living center. Medicare pays 100% of long-term care for 20 days and all but $95.00 per day for the next 80 days–after that nothing. However, Medicare only pays for skilled care and most long term care is not skilled care.
- The national average cost for nursing homes is approximately $105.00 per day. Assisted living ranges anywhere from $50 – $90 per day. If you live on the Eastern Seaboard you can easily spend $50,000 to $80,000 for a year’s stay in a nursing home. These costs are perfectly capable of wiping out a lifetime of savings-not to mention the emotional effect long-term care has on a family.
- A Harvard University study showed that 69% of single people and 34% of married couples would exhaust their assets after 13 weeks in a nursing home care. 13 Weeks = 91 days!.7. At age 65, a woman has a one out of two chance of spending some time in a nursing home. A man has a one out of three chance. In the case of men, mortality catches up with morbidity.
- Medicaid kicks in only after a person’s assets and dignity are gone. In many states, the eligibility threshold for single people is $1,500 in assets.
- After all, Medicaid is WELFARE.
- Children would like to help, but children often have children of their own. They certainly can’t quit their jobs to care for their parents.
- Health rarely improves with age.
- People can’t buy long-term-care coverage at crisis time or when they are ready to use it.
- American’s have access to the best health care in the world if they can pay for it.
- Most people want to choose where they go instead of having to go where they are taken, and if independence is important to them, they will need to have either a big estate or adequate insurance.