Long-Term Care Insurance: What Types Of Care Are Covered?

Long-term care insurance is generally needed by the elderly but it is also needed by other people who suffer with a debilitating illness or injury that makes it necessary for them to have assistance to perform the every day essential activities that many of us take for granted, such as feeding oneself, bathing, and getting dressed.

The types of care that are covered by a long-term care insurance policy with vary from policy to policy.The following will give you an idea of what may be covered and a short explanation of what the term means.

Skilled care is a type of health care given when you need skilled nursing or rehabilitation staff to manage, observe, and evaluate your care.

Intermediate care is a level of care associated with a skilled nursing facility which provides nursing care under the supervision of physicians or a registered nurse. The care provided is a step down from the degree of care described as skilled nursing care.

Custodial care is primarily for meeting personal needs such as assistance in bathing, dressing, eating or taking medicine, it can be provided by someone without professional medical training.

Nursing homes provide nursing or personal care services to the older population, infirm, or chronically ill.

Assisted living is a supportive housing facility designed for those who need extra help in their day-to-day lives but who do not require the 24-hour skilled nursing care found in traditional nursing homes

Adult day care is a group program for functionally impaired adults. It meets health, social and functional needs in a setting other than adult's home

Alternate care is non-conventional care and services developed by a licensed health care practitioner that serve as an alternative to more costly nursing home care.

Respite care for the care giver are services that provide people with temporary relief from tasks associated with care-giving

Home care services such as skilled or non-skilled nursing care, physical therapy, homemakers, and home health aides may also be covered with a long-term care insurance policy.It is also important to know any exclusions and limitations that a policy may have.Preexisting conditions are not covered.There are some mental and nervous disorders that may not be covered.Alcoholism and drug abuse are not covered as well as care needed from an intentionally self-inflicted injury.

There are other important features that should be considered before you decide on a long-term care insurance policy.Knowing some of the terminology in a policy could save you trouble in the future.Here are a few terms and a short definition.

Inflation protection ensures that the premiums do not increase or it limits the increases, even though the cost of the long term care will increase.

Deductibles may include a dollar amount or a period of coverage.You may have to pay expenses out of pocket for a certain number of days, or the coverage may only be for a certain number of years.

Coverage is the amount of expenses covered by a policy.Some policies may only pay a certain amount each day which may affect the type of care that you can afford.Higher coverage will mean higher premiums.

When considering a long-term care insurance policy it is essential that you know what types of care are covered as well as what is excluded from the benefits. Asking questions, comparing policies, and shopping around will give you needed information to make a quality decision. The price of the long-term care insurance is not cheap and the cost of the long term care is even more expensive so making an error in judgment could be very costly down the road.