Long-Term Insurance Plans

 Long-term care goes beyond medical care and nursing care to include all the assistance you could need if you ever have a chronic illness or disability that leaves you unable to care for yourself for an extended period of time.
 
Insurance is an important tool for protecting yourself against risk. For instance, health insurance pays your doctor and hospital bills if you get sick or injured. But how can you help protect yourself against the significant financial risk posed by the potential need for long-term care services, either in a nursing home or in your own home? Long-term care goes beyond medical care and nursing care to include all the assistance you could need if you ever have a chronic illness or disability that leaves you unable to care for yourself for an extended period of time. You can receive long-term care in a nursing home, assisted-living facility, or in your own home.  Though older people use the most long-term care services, a young or middle-aged person who has been in an accident or suffered a debilitating illness might also need long-term care.
Beyond nursing homes, there is a range of services available in the community to help meet long-term care needs. Visiting nurses, home health aides, friendly visitor programs, home- delivered meals, chore services, adult daycare centers, and respite services for caregivers who need a  break from daily responsibilities can supplement care given by family members.
These services are becoming more widely available.  Some or all of them may be found in your community. Your local Area Agency on Aging or Office on Aging can help you locate the services you need. Call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 to identify your local office.
While certainly older people are more likely to need long-term care, your need for long-term care can come at any age. In fact, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that 40 percent of the 13 million people receiving long-term care services are between the ages of 18 and 64.

Where Can I Get Long-term Care Coverage?

Although long-term care insurance is relatively new, more than 100 companies now offer coverage. Long-term care insurance is generally available through groups and to individuals. Group insurance is typically offered through employers, and this type of coverage is becoming a more common benefit. By the end of 2002, more than 5,600 employers were offering a long-term care insurance plan to their employees, retirees, or both.  Individual long-term care insurance coverage is a good option if you are not employed, work for a small company that doesn’t offer a plan, or are self-employed.  Choosing a policy requires careful shopping because coverage and costs vary from company to company and depend on the benefit levels you choose.

Seniority Insurance Brokerage is located in Aptos, CA, and works with clients across the entire state of California, including Santa Cruz CA, Monterey CA, Carmel-By-The-Sea and Watsonville CA.