Choosing Long Term Health Care Insurance
When choosing long term health care insurance there are usually two major options to choose from: a network based coverage or managed care plan, or private health care insurance or indemnity plan. There are benefits to both options, but the main thing to look at when choosing long term health care insurance is if the plan will cover the types of long term health care that will be needed during the course of aging so that there will not be unexpected expenses when a person's income is drastically reduced and in some sort of assisted care.
Types of Long Term Health Care
When choosing a long term health care insurance, it is important to think through what types of long term health care will be desired at different times during the aging process as health deteriorates. One type of long term health care is home care, which is given in a person's home by family members at first, and then moves to volunteers or paid professionals. Sometimes this type of care is short-term, but often it becomes long term as an illness progresses. Different long-term health care insurance companies call this care by different names, such as home health care or hospice care.
Another type health care that long term health care insurance should cover is community services such as day programs for seniors. This could be adult day cares, where the primary care provider can drop the senior off for activities and care during the day while he works and then picks up the senior when he gets off of work. This could also be meals and transportation for seniors who are self-sufficient in the home, but need help with these services.
Assisted living situations are usually communities that give around the clock assistance to the residents, as well as supervision and often meals. These communities should be covered in a long term health care insurance plan in case a situation arises where it is needed. The person should check to see what the out-of-pocket expenses would be with the plan, such as copays and deductibles so that they can plan to set that money aside in advance if possible.
Nursing home care is the most commonly sought coverage in long-term health care insurance plans, since many assisted care communities also have a section that moves to full time nursing home care when it is needed by the residents. This type of care covers all aspects of the resident's life, such as bathing, meals and medication, as well as any medical treatment where hospitalization is not required.
