There’s no doubt about it, long-term care insurance is expensive, and the premiums can be steep if you wait until after age 70 to first buy a policy. Some companies have gotten approvals for big premium increases on old policies. The marketplace has shrunk as companies have left the business, and some companies create bureaucratic barriers to paying claims. However, there’s also no doubt that nursing home care is expensive — in New Jersey it is not uncommon for the monthly costs to hit $12,000 to $14,000 a month. Hiring a live-in to help you at your home can cost $6,000 a month. If there’s no money and no insurance, then Medicaid is the only source of payment.
The Baby Boomers and those starting to plan their retirement years have to think way ahead, as life expectancy is lengthening and therefore the statistical risk of needing long-term care in one’s 80’s is real. The Boston College Center for Retirement Research has interesting articles and useful statustics on this subject. http://crr.bc.edu/briefs/long-term-care-how-big-a-risk/ Their recent research shows that more people are trending towards waiting to see what happens, and then embarking on a Medicaid spend-down plan, rather than purchasing long-term care insurance. The benefit is the savings in premium dollars, of course. The downside is that the state Medicaid program may only provide a complicated or inadequate home health aide program for people residing outside of nursing homes.
As I see it, the main benefit of long-term care insurance is the way it helps people age in place at home. To remain in the home in a “naturally occurring retirement community (NORC)”, a person needs to plan out their need for hands-on assistance, transportation, medical services, grocery shopping & food preparation, and attending social & cultural events, If you have the means, insuring for long term care costs can make a big difference in how quickly you can get your home care started and in the administrative process that’s involved after that. Policies frequently have a 90-day waiting period. This means that once you require hands-on home health care because you’ve become dependent in two or more of the Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s), you need to cover the cost of that care during the waiting period. Depending on the circumstances, this may not be a big financial burden, because many patients are tending to their own needs at home and it isn’t until they are hospitalized due to illness or injury that they begin to have care in the home. For those patients, they may receive skilled care or “rehab” during this initial waiting period, paid for by Medicare part A or their Medicare Choice plan.
For those without such insurance, the only way to obtain in-home care is to pay for it privately or apply for Medicaid when the assets are below the required level ($2,000 in available assets; the home is not counted; there can also be a share of assets reserved for the spouse). The application is filed after the applicant’s assets reach this level, and then the long wait begins , as the application is being processed. However, New Jersey’s MLTSS Home and Community Based Services programs have been undergoing a massive reorganization since 2013 with an apparent shortage of staff to fully and swiftly implement the program. Everyone hopes that the snags will be worked out soon. The law requires that the county welfare agency notify the applicant within 90 days if there is a reason the application can’t be approved. This is often the opening volley in a protracted experience. So based on past experience, I think that it is still likely to take a very long time for the county welfare agencies to process and approve the many home care applications they receive under MLTSS.
Careful planning can prevent a crisis and improve your ability to direct the course of your care plan.
Call us about planning for a good old age… 732-382-6070