Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance

LONG-TERM CARE POLICY SOURCES

Individual plans: Most people buy long-term care policies through an insurance agent or broker. If you go this route, make sure the person you're working with has had additional training in long-term care insurance (many states require it) and check with your state's insurance department to confirm that the person is licensed to sell insurance in your state.

Employer-sponsored plans: Some employers offer group long-term care policies or make individual policies available at discounted group rates. A number of group plans don't include underwriting, which means you may not have to meet medical requirements to qualify, at least initially. Benefits may also be available to family members, who must pay premiums and might need to pass medical screenings. In most cases, if you leave the employer or the employer stops providing the benefit, you'll be able to retain the policy or receive a similar offering if you continue to pay the premiums.

Plans offered by organizations: A professional or service organization you belong to might offer group-rate long-term care insurance policies to its members. Just as with employer-sponsored coverage, study your options so you'll know what would happen if coverage were terminated or if you were to leave the organization.

State partnership programs: If you purchase a long-term care insurance policy that qualifies for the State Partnership Program you can keep a specified amount of assets and still qualify for Medicaid. Most states have a State Partnership Program. Be sure to ask your insurance agent whether the policy you're considering qualifies under the State Partnership Program, how it works with Medicaid, and when and how you would qualify for Medicaid. If you have more questions about Medicaid and the partnership program in your state, check with your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

Joint policies: These plans let you buy a single policy that covers more than one person. The policy can be used by a husband and wife, two partners, or two related adults. However, there is usually a total or maximum benefit that applies to everyone insured under the policy. For instance, if a couple has a policy with a $100,000 maximum benefit and one person uses $40,000, the other person would have $60,000 left for his or her own services. With such a joint policy you run the risk of one person depleting funds that the other partner might need.

LONG-TERM CARE POLICIES & PREEXISTING CONDITIONS

Insurers often turn down applicants due to preexisting conditions. If a company does sell a policy to someone with preexisting conditions, it often withholds payment for care related to those conditions for a specified period of time after the policy is sold. Make sure this period of withheld payments is reasonable for you. If you fail to notify a company of a previous condition, the company may not pay for care related to that condition.

Most companies will provide an informal review to determine whether you are eligible for the policy. This is helpful if you're likely to be denied coverage since another company may ask whether you've ever been turned down for coverage.

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