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Unlocking the Secret to Understanding Long-Term Care Benefits: Length, Amount and Duration

Thinking about a time when you might not be able to do everything on your own is tough. It’s something that many people worry about. But, knowing how long benefits last with long-term care (LTC) insurance can help you feel more prepared for the future. 

 

In this post, which is an expansion to my discussion on “the 20 Crucial Differences between ‘Traditional’ Stand-Alone and ‘Hybrid’ Long-term care policies“, I’m going to explain the important parts of long-term care insurance, like the differences between regular LTC policies and special ones that mix life insurance or saving/income plans known as “annuities” with long-term care benefits.

How long benefits last with long-term care insurance
Designing your coverage and understanding riders help define How long benefits last with long-term care insurance

However, the main point of this post is to talk about how benefits are paid out from these policies and how much money you would get if you have a claim and when you would get it. This can be every day, every week, or every month. It’s important to understand this because this little detail may seem the same. For example, $100 day may seem the same as $3000 a month, but it is different!

I’ll use a story to show what happens if someone needs care every other day and how it affects the money they get to illustrate this point.

At the end, my goal for you by reading this article is to feel more confident about making choices about your long-term care insurance. 

The secret to buying long-term care insurance and building wealth

Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance

When it comes to planning for the future, long-term care insurance is something you might consider. This type of insurance helps pay for care you might need if you can’t do everyday activities on your own, like eating, bathing, or getting dressed. But there are different kinds of long-term care insurance, and it’s important to know the differences.

 

Defining Traditional and Hybrid Policies

 

Traditional Long-Term Care Insurance

 

Traditional long-term care insurance is like a safety net. If you ever need help with daily activities, this insurance can help cover the costs. You pay a regular amount, called a premium, and in return, the insurance company promises to help pay for your care if you need it.

 

Hybrid Policies: Life Insurance and Annuities with Long-Term Care Benefits

 

Hybrid policies are a mix of two things. They combine long-term care insurance with either life insurance or an annuity (a type of savings plan). With a hybrid policy, if you don’t end up needing long-term care, your family can still get a benefit when you pass away. Or, if you have an annuity, you can get money back over time.

 

How Benefits Are Paid Out

 

When you are looking at a long-term care plan to buy, you will find the policies may offer a daily benefit, a weekly benefit or a monthly benefit. They may seem the same at first glance, but they are different…
 

Daily Benefits

 

With daily benefits, your insurance policy gives you a set amount of money each day to pay for your care. For example, if your policy has a daily benefit of $200, you’ll get up to $200 each day to cover your care costs. This is straightforward, but it might not always cover everything if you have days where your care costs more than $200.

 

Weekly Benefits

 

Weekly benefits work similarly, but instead of a daily limit, you have a weekly limit. So, if your policy has a weekly benefit of $1,400, you can use up to that amount each week. This gives you a bit more flexibility. For instance, if you need care that costs $300 on one day, you can use the extra $100 from another day in the same week.

 

Monthly Benefits

 

Monthly benefits give you the most flexibility. If your policy has a monthly benefit of $6,000, you can use that amount however you need throughout the month. This is great if your care needs vary a lot from day to day or week to week.

 

An example…

 

Now, you might wonder why a policy with monthly benefits costs more than one with weekly or daily benefits. The reason is flexibility. With monthly benefits, you can plan your care more easily, and you’re less likely to run into situations where you exceed your daily or weekly limit. This extra flexibility is valuable, so policies with monthly benefits usually have higher premiums.

 

Here’s an example to illustrate the point:

 

Let’s say you have a policy with a daily benefit of $200. One week, you need care that costs $300 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For those three days, you’ll exceed your daily limit by $100 each day, so you’ll have to pay $300 out of pocket.

 

Now, imagine you have a policy with a weekly benefit of $1,400. You can use the full $1,400 to cover your care costs for the week, without worrying about exceeding a daily limit. So, in this case, you wouldn’t have to pay anything out of pocket.

 

With a monthly benefit, you’d have even more flexibility to plan your care throughout the month, making it easier to manage your costs. That’s why policies with monthly benefits are often more expensive – they will pay more benefits under certain conditions. \

 

On the plus side, if you do own a policy with a daily benefit payout and feel like you could be getting “ripped off”, know that any unused money is still in the policy available for your use at a later date and, if it has inflation protection, may even pay out more. The reason is most long-term care policies not only have a maximum benefit per period, they also have a “total benefit available.” So if you don’t get a full benefit payment because you have a $200 daily benefit and a $300 bill on 3 days a week, know you will still get the maximum amount the policy will pay out, it is just going require you to need care and live longer than the person who bought a weekly or monthly plan.

How Long Will Benefits Last with a Long-Term Care Insurance Policy

When you’re looking into long-term care insurance, one big question is how long the benefits will last. This is important because it affects how long you’ll be covered if you ever need care.

 

Benefit Periods Explained

 

Determining the Length of Coverage

 

The length of coverage, or benefit period, is how long your insurance will pay for your care. It can range from a couple of years to your whole life. When you choose a policy, you’ll decide how long you want the coverage to last. Think about your family’s health history and your own health when making this decision.

 

Factors Affecting Benefit Duration

 

Several things can affect how long your benefits last. The amount of money you get each day, week, or month, and how often you need care are two big factors. If you have a policy that pays $200 a day and you use all of that every day, your benefits might run out faster than if you only use $150 a day.

Examples of Benefit Utilization

 

Scenario: Care Received Every Other Day

 

Let’s say you have a policy with a weekly benefit of $1,400. If you need care that costs $300 every other day, you won’t use up your whole weekly benefit. This means your benefits will last longer because you’re not using them up as quickly.

 

Maximizing Benefit Utilization

 

To make the most of your benefits, you need to plan carefully. If you have a monthly benefit, try to schedule your care in a way that keeps you within your monthly limit. This way, you can avoid going over your limit and having to pay out of pocket.

 

By understanding how long benefits last with long-term care insurance and how to use your benefits wisely, you can make sure you’re covered for as long as you need. Whether you choose a policy with daily, weekly, or monthly benefits, knowing how to make the most of them can help you plan for the future with confidence.

 

Increasing the Length of Your Long-Term Care Benefits

Once you understand how long-term care insurance works, you might wonder if there are ways to make your benefits last longer. There may be two reasons you want this. 1) To ensure you can have the best care possible if you ever need it. 2) You want to be sure to protect your assets and not be forced to use them to pay for long-term care services if you need it.

The good news is that there are options to help you extend your coverage and protect your assets.

Options for Extending Coverage

Benefit Period Extension Riders

One way to make your benefits last longer is by adding something called a “rider” to your policy. A Benefit Period Extension Rider lets you extend the length of time your policy will pay for your care. For example, if your policy originally covers you for three years, adding this rider could extend it to five years or more.

Shared Care Policies

 

Another option is a Shared Care Policy. This is something you can do if you’re married or have a partner. It lets you share your benefits with each other. So, if one of you needs more care than the other, you can use some of your partner’s benefits. This can help make sure that both of you are covered for as long as you need and there is often a discount for buying these policies.

State Partnership Plans

 

If protecting your assets is your primary goal and you don’t mind going on welfare (Medicaid) when your policy runs out of funds, state partnership long-term care plans allow you to protect your assets, up to the amount of long-term care coverage you purchased. 

For example, if you bought a policy providing a maximum benefit of $250,000, the state you purchased this plan in will allow you to keep up to $250,000 in assets that would have otherwise had been used to pay for your care.

Planning for Future Needs

 

Inflation Protection

 

As time goes by, the cost of care will probably go up. That’s why it’s important to have Inflation Protection in your policy. This makes sure that your benefits increase over time, so they can keep up with rising costs. That way, you’ll have enough money to cover your care in the future. Too, know that partnership plans require this rider be added to any long-term care policy to qualify for the asset protection feature.

Customizing Your Policy for Longevity

 

When you’re choosing your long-term care insurance, think about what you might need in the future. You can customize your policy to fit your needs. For example, if you think you’ll need a lot of care, you might choose a policy with a longer benefit period and higher daily limits.

By considering options like Benefit Period Extension Riders, Shared Care Policies, and Inflation Protection, you can make your long-term care benefits last longer. This can give you peace of mind, knowing that you’ll be covered for as long as you need. So, when you’re planning for your future, remember to think about how to increase the length of your long-term care benefits.

Coordinating Long-Term Care Insurance with Medicare

When planning for the future, it’s important to understand how long-term care insurance and Medicare work together. Many people think Medicare will cover all their long-term care needs, but that’s not ever the case.

 

Understanding Medicare’s Role in Long-Term Care

 

Limitations of Medicare Coverage

 

Medicare is a health insurance program for people 65 and older (or those blind or who are disabled and have been receiving Social Security Disability for 24 months.) Medicare has parts that covers Hospital costs, Doctors Services and Prescription Drugs, but it has a limit as to what it pays when it comes to long-term care services.

 

In reality, Medicare only pays for short-term care in a nursing home or at home for a limited number of days after a hospital stay. It doesn’t cover any long-term care services like help with daily activities if that’s the only care you require.

 

For example, my grandmother was in an assisted living facility for years because of her knee. She wasn’t in the hospital, she just couldn’t get off out of bed or off the toilet and, if she fell, she would never have been able to get back up…

 

Bridging the Gap with Long-Term Care Insurance

 

This is where long-term care insurance comes in. It helps pay for care that Medicare doesn’t cover. For example, if you need help with things like bathing, dressing, or eating, long-term care insurance can help cover the costs. It’s a way to make sure you have the money required to provide the care you need without using up all your savings.

 

Strategies for Coordination

 

Timing Your Benefits

 

When you have both Medicare and long-term care insurance, it’s important to plan how you’ll use your benefits. You might use Medicare first to pay for short-term care after a hospital stay. Then, when Medicare stops paying, your long-term care insurance can kick in to cover ongoing care.

 

Leveraging Medicare and Insurance for Comprehensive Coverage

 

By coordinating your benefits, you can get the most out of both Medicare and your long-term care insurance. This means you’ll have a plan for both short-term and long-term care needs. It’s like having a safety net that makes sure you’re covered no matter what kind of care you need.

 

So, when you’re thinking about your future, remember to consider how long-term care insurance and Medicare can work together. By planning ahead, you can make sure you have the coverage you need to stay healthy and independent for as long as possible.

Considerations for Choosing Long-Term Care Insurance

When it comes to choosing long-term care insurance, there are several key factors to consider. This insurance can help you pay for care if you ever need help with everyday activities like bathing, dressing, or eating. But picking the right policy requires some thought and planning.

 

Assessing Your Personal Needs and Goals

 

Evaluating Your Health and Family History

 

Your health and your family’s health history can give you an idea of what kind of care you might need in the future. If your family has a history of conditions that require long-term care, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, you might want a policy that provides more coverage.

 

Considering Your Financial Situation

 

Think about how much you can afford to spend on premiums and how much money you have saved for the future. Long-term care insurance can help protect your savings, but you need to choose a policy that fits your budget.

 

Making Informed Decisions

 

Researching Policy Options

 

There are different types of long-term care insurance policies, like traditional policies and hybrid policies that combine long-term care insurance with life insurance or annuities. Take the time to learn about your options so you can find a policy that meets your needs.

Consulting with Financial Planner Like Me…

Talking to a financial planner like myself can help you make the best decision regarding not only long-term care insurance, but all your money decisions.

 

Conclusion

Choosing the right long-term care insurance is an important decision. By evaluating your health and family history, considering your financial situation, researching your options, and consulting with a financial planner, you can find a policy that gives you peace of mind for the future.

By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about how you can have long-term care coverage and increase your investment returns through a little-known strategy that Wall Street doesn’t tell you about because there isn’t any money in it for them to make off of you…), check out my report here…

If you are insurable and you have some assets you want to use for retirement income or estate planning purposes, there really isn’t a reason you should go without some coverage. Don’t retain that risk and have a plan!

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The information provided on this website is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as financial, investment, or legal advice. Kevin Wenke, CFP, CLU, and his companies, Decision Tree Financial and Decision Tree Investment Advisors LLC, do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented. No client-advisor relationship is established by the use of this website or interaction with its content.

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