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There are various Long Term Care Insurance Policies. The most popular are the “Indemnity” or “Expense Incurred” where you choose the benefit amount. A fixed benefit amount is paid by an “indemnity” or “per diem” policy regardless of what you spend. The actual expenses for services received up to a fixed dollar amount per day, week, or month is reimbursed with an “indemnity” or “per diem” policy.

“Integrated Policies” or policies with “Pooled Benefits” offer a total dollar amount which may be used for different kinds of long term care services. Usually there is a daily, weekly, or monthly dollar limit for long term care expenses covered by the policy. Let’s say for example you buy a policy with a maximum benefit amount of $300,000 of pooled benefits. With this policy you will have a maximum daily benefit of $300 that would last for 1,000 days if you spend the maximum daily amount on care. You will receive benefits for more than 1,000 days if your care costs less than the maximum daily amount of $300.

According to where benefits are paid Long Care Insurance Policies are divided into three broad categories – Home Care Only, Nursing Home and Residential Care Facility Only and Comprehensive. Home Care Only policies cover care in your own home or a community setting. It does not cover care in Assisted Living Facilities or Nursing Homes. It includes benefits for home health, adult day health care, hospice, respite care, personal care and homemaker services.

Costs rising out of care in a nursing home or any place that provides assisted living care as long as this place is licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) is covered by Nursing Home and Residential Care Facility Only policies. This policy pays for more than just room and board in these facilities. The costs of all long term care services you receive in either of these facilities is paid by this policy up to the policy’s maximum daily benefit amount.

Care for patients with cognitive impairment (dementia) from Alzheimer is provided in small neighborhood homes also called board and care facilities, retirement homes and specialized community facilities which are part of the RCFE. This kind of policy provides for assisted living benefits equallingl to atleast 70% of the nursing home care benefit.

Expenses rising out of care in a nursing home, assisted living facility, home care and community care (adult day care) are covered by Comprehensive Long Term Care Insurance Policies. Before benefits can be paid LTC Comprehensive policies sold by different companies require different criteria to be met. When two activities of daily living (such as bathing, using the bathroom, dressing eating etc.) can not be performed or you have a cognitive condition that requires supervision, Comprehensive Long Term Care Insurance Policiy will pay you the benefits. The criteria required for the benefits remain as described above whether care is provided in a nursing home, at your own home or in an assisted living facility.

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There are many kinds of Long Term Care Insurance Policies. The common ones are “Indemnity” or “Expense Incurred” policies. You choose the benefit amount when you buy an expense incurred policy. An “indemnity” or “per diem” policy pays up to a fixed benefit amount regardless of what you spend. You are reimbursed for the actual expenses for services received up to a fixed dollar amount per day, week, or month with an “indemnity” or “per diem” policy.

Another popular LTCI category is the “Integrated Policies” or policies with “Pooled Benefits” where a total dollar amount may be used for different kinds of long term care services. With these kinds of policies there is usually a daily, weekly, or monthly dollar limit for long term care expenses covered. You buy let’s say for example a policy with a maximum benefit amount of $300,000 of pooled benefits. You maximum daily benefit with this policy would be $300 that would last for 1,000 days if you spend the maximum daily amount on care. You can receive benefits for more than 1,000 days if your care costs less than the maximum daily amount of $300.

According to where benefits are paid Long Care Insurance Policies are divided into three broad categories – Home Care Only, Nursing Home and Residential Care Facility Only and Comprehensive. Home Care Only policies cover care in your own home or a community setting. It does not cover care in Assisted Living Facilities or Nursing Homes. It includes benefits for home health, adult day health care, hospice, respite care, personal care and homemaker services.

Assisted living care provided in nursing home or any place that provides assisted living care as long as this place is licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) is covered by Nursing Home and Residential Care Facility Only policies. Room and board in these facilities are not the only services covered by these kinds of policies. Expenses of all long term care services you receive in either of these facilities is covered by this policy up to the policy’s maximum daily benefit amount.

Care for patients with cognitive impairment (dementia) from Alzheimer is provided in small neighborhood homes also called board and care facilities, retirement homes and specialized community facilities which are part of the RCFE. This kind of policy provides for assisted living benefits equaling to at least 70% of the nursing home care benefit.

Expenses rising out of care in a nursing home, assisted living facility, home care and community care (adult day care) are covered by Comprehensive Long Term Care Insurance Policies. Before benefits can be paid LTC Comprehensive policies sold by different companies require different criteria to be met. When two activities of daily living (such as bathing, using the bathroom, dressing eating etc.) can not be performed or you have a cognitive condition that requires supervision, Comprehensive Long Term Care Insurance Policy will pay you the benefits. The criteria required for the benefits remain as described above whether care is provided in a nursing home, at your own home or in an assisted living facility.

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The type of Long Term Care Insurance Policy chosen, daily benefit amount to be paid, your age, number of years the policy will pay benefits, choice of inflation protection and the number of days after you qualify for the benefits before the company will start to pay benefits are factors which influence your Long Term Care Insurance Policy Premium. If you have a pre-existing condition, your premiums may be higher if some companies agree to insure you. All of the above factors influence your LTCI policy premium.

Various LTCI companies calculate the cost of benefits you choose in a varying manner. This reason alone can make a significant difference between premiums for similar benefits. For instance, a company calculates the premium based on every $10 of the daily benefit you choose. If for each $10 of daily benefit the company charged $95, the premium would be $950 per year for a daily benefit of $100. With a similar package of benefits costing $150 with another company, the premium would rise to $1500.

The type and amount of inflation protection chosen will also influence your LTCI policy premium. The makes the cost nearly double for those in 40s and 50s and not expecting to need care for several years. As you age your ability to change LTCI policy diminishes but probability of developing health conditions which make you ineligible to apply for new benefits increases.

You may see an increase in your LTCI premiums over the years. A personal worksheet which explains the rate increases the company has had since 1990 is provided to you by your agent when you buy a LTCI policy. For rate increases for every company that sells go to the California Department of Insurance website. LTC insurance companies found it difficult to increase future premiums when California passed legislation in 2000.

When it became mandatory in 2006 for all companies filing for premium increases over a certain amount to offer a choice, policy holders got to choose between stop paying their premium and keep the benefits equal to the total amount of premiums already paid. The sum of premiums that has already been paid will finance only a small amount of care. If you were unable to pay because of a premium increase, you will not lose all your benefits.

Talk with your company for lower premiums by reducing some of your policy benefits. Your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) office can help you if you have received a premium increase notice or you need to lower your premium.

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Long Term Care Insurance pays for costs rising out of long term care services. Long Term Care is help which is needed to carry out daily activities like eating, bathing, dressing, using the bathroom etc. when you have a physical disability or cognitive impairment such as dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease. It pays for care not covered by traditional health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. It is care not intended to cure you nor is it received in a hospital. It can be received in your own home, a nursing home or assisted living facilities and it is care which you may need for the rest of your life.

The Federal Health Insurance program is called Medicare and aims to provide health care services for people 65 or older. It also covers those who have certain disabilities under the age of 65, and those dealing with permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant. People suffering from ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease are also covered by Medicare. Medicare pays only for short term skilled care like inpatient hospital stays, inpatient skilled nursing facility stays, hospice care and home health care. Out patient medical services such as doctor visits, diagnostic tests and preventive care, prescription drugs are covered by Medicare. Medicare provides for specialized care in hospital and only for a limited time.

A state based program supplemented by Federal Funds is called Medicaid. Medi-Cal is the Medicaid Program in California. According to your state’s guidelines Medicaid aims to provide health care services to people with low-income and asset levels. You must meet your state’s poverty criteria in order to be eligible for Medicaid. It generally means you need to expend all but $2000 of your assets. A welfare program kicking in only after a person’s assets are gone is Medicaid!

Medigap is a form of private supplemental health insurance policy which increases the amount of health insurance for eligible Medicare recipients. Medigap is provided by private health insurance companies such as Humana, Blue Cross and Blue Shield etc. The 12 standardized Medigap Policies have the same benefits regardless of which private company sells it to you. A part or all of Medicare’s coinsurance and deductibles are paid by Medigap policies. A few Medigap policies cover health care costs which are not covered by Medicare like emergency medical care in foreign countries.

In summary, Long Term Care costs are covered only by Long Term Care Insurance. To protect your assets and to safe guard yourself and your family in the event you need long term care, seek Long Term Care Insurance.

Learn more about long term care insurance. Stop by Maria Smith’s site where you can find out all about long term care health insurance and what it can do for you.

Children born in the US between 1946 and 1964 are known as the Baby Boom Generation. The 76 million baby boomers represent approximately 28% of the population. 40% of this generation will live to be 90. 70% of people above the age of 65 will need some kind of Long Term Care Services at some point in their lives.

When this generation reaches retirement at 2030 the elderly population will be double what it is today. The oldest baby boomer will turn 65 in 2010 and the youngest by 2030. The youngest baby boomer turns 85 by 2050 when the need for long term care is felt the most. 30% of Baby Boomers believe that they have long term care coverage. Unfortunately, those who can afford to purchase a policy have not done so yet.

A big portion of seniors needing long term care in the future consists of baby boomers not planning for this need today which will lead to financial drain on the government. 43% of nursing home care costs for seniors come from Medicaid. In the future Medicare and Medicaid will be taking more out of the system when fewer workers in the workforce will be contributing (tax).

Today’s life style has made informal home care a less of an option for the baby boom generation than it was for their parents. Demographic changes like smaller family size, work related mobility, increase in divorce rates and increase in people choosing to remain single have made informal home care more difficult.

The baby boom generation needs to realize the possibility of needing some kind of long term care at some point in their life. Long term care should become a key component of retirement planning to ensure financial peace of mind in old age. Admitting that “this can happen to me” and buying a long term care insurance policy at an earlier age will be cheaper than later. Not expecting the government or family to meet your long term care needs will help you choose a policy that best fits you. For financial freedom and peace of mind choose a long term care insurance policy with the maximum coverage.

Learn more about long term care insurance. Stop by Maria Smith’s site where you can find out all about long term care health insurance and what it can do for you.

Begin by reviewing your current financial condition, your savings and assets, and consider the kind of Long Term Care you want before you buy long term care health insurance policy. Look for a financially sound Long Term Care Insurance Company with a good rating so that the company is still around when you want to receive your benefits say in 20 years. Read the long term care insurance reviews and claims process and know how many filed claims have been paid by the company.

The maximum daily benefit of your Long Term Care Insurance policy and the cost of long term care services in your area affect your long term care health insurance quote. Keeping inflation in mind seek a Long Term Care Insurance policy that factors in the inflation rate in its premium. If you don’t keep inflation in mind while buying Long Term Care Insurance policy, you will be left with too little money too late.

Become familiar with non-cancel and guaranteed renewable Long Term Care Insurance policies so that your policy is not canceled just when you need it the most. A Long Term Care Insurance policy which provides coverage if you become unemployed and works along with your Social Security is preferred.

Consider buying a Long Term Care Insurance policy with an option to choose a 10 year or paid up by age 65 payment plan and the freedom to choose the benefit payout – either reimbursement or indemnity. Some Long Term Care Insurance policies allow you to apply for additional coverage without providing proof of medical insurability once a year for a specified number of years. Check out Long Term Care Insurance policies that allow you to receive benefits if you experience an income loss from a partial and/or total disability.

Long Term Care Insurance with the maximum coverage allows you to choose where you want to go instead of having to go where you are taken while still maintaining your financial independence and dignity. Those Long Term Care Insurance policies with fixed premiums which stay in force as long as you pay the premiums are note worthy. Not only are your assets protected by Long Term Care Insurance, but should you overcome the need of long term care, you still have your savings to enjoy when you recover.

Maria Smith likes to write about general insurance and long term care insurance.