A survey by the Center for Aging Research and Education shows that only seven percent of baby boomers in America have purchased the insurance to cover the long term health care needs that may be in their future. That failure could result in individuals risking their assets they’ve spent a lifetime accumulating, their choice of where they receive care, or their independence.

What is “long term care” and why is planning for it so vitally important? Different from traditional medical care, long term care is generally expected to last at least 90 days, and may include custodial care-that is, assistance with daily activities like eating, bathing, getting, dressed, toileting and transferring. It can be provided in one’s own home, a community-based facility, assisted care facility incapacitated.

The Agency for Health Care Policy and research did a research study. This study stated that some 42 percent of Americans who reach the age of 70 can expect to require some form of long term care during the remainder of their lives. And if they don’t have the proper insurance, then they may not be able to afford it. In other cases where nursing home care is required, with the cost of a year in a nursing home averaging $54,900 per year nationwide, it won’t take long for most people to deplete their assets accumulated over a lifetime to cover the cost. Bills can be huge, and hourly fees can range from $20 per hour and up. Without the proper insurance, people may not be able to afford this coverage.

A lot of people take for granted that if they need assisted living that the administration will take care of them. This is ill-fated because many times it won’t. Medicare only pays for a partial time for a stay at a nursing home. And this is only after a qualifying hospital stay. There are also co pays that are the liability of the recipient after a certain amount of days. There is a point though that you may be responsible for the complete cost. And medical care is not always obtainable. From time to time you have to exhaust all your personal resources before getting medical coverage. And don’t expect the government to aid much with newer forms of long term care. Though some states reimburse for some assisted living, the programs are mot large. They only cover a few people. Medicare covers only incomplete home care. The elderly are progressively more paying their long term care bills out of their own pocket because they lack coverage. This can also occur because they didn’t know that they didn’t have coverage.

These findings are just some of the reasons of how vital it is that people plan properly for their long term care needs. It helps illustrate how valuable long term care insurance can be for many individuals. Long term care also has many other benefits. Instead of letting a government program decide which care to provide to individuals, long term care insurance may provide the funds an individual needs to make their own choice about where they receive covered care and what kind of care they get. Long term care insurance may help provide the funds to help pay for the necessary care. It also helps while also helping ensure that the responsibility for providing care will not fall to their family. These choices may also help preserve financial independence and a persons’ dignity.

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