Long-term care insurance is designed to cover a wide range of long-term care
services. If you are unable to care for yourself because of a prolonged illness
or disability, long-term care insurance may pay for the kind of services you
need. Such services may include help with activities of daily living, home
health care, respite care, adult day care, care in a nursing home or care in an
assisted living facility.
Some long-term care insurance policies qualify for a deduction on both your
state and federal income tax returns. You may be able to deduct your premiums
from your income taxes in the same way medical expenses are deducted. For more
information or to see if a tax-qualified or non-tax-qualified long-term care
policy best meets your needs, contact one or more of the following:
- Your insurance agent or company
- Your tax consultant
- The Internal Revenue Service
Do you need long-term care insurance?
Whether you should buy long-term care insurance will depend on your age, health
status, overall retirement goals, income and assets. For instance, if your only
source of income is a Social Security Benefit or Supplemental Security Income,
you probably should not buy long-term care insurance since you may not be able
to afford the premium.
On the other hand, if you have a large amount of assets but do not want to use
them to pay for long-term care, you may want to buy a long-term care insurance
policy. Many people buy a policy because they want to stay independent of
government aid or the help of family. They do not want to burden anyone with
having to care for them. However, you should not buy a policy if you cannot
afford the premium or are not sure you can pay the premium for the rest of your
life.
Is long-term care insurance right for you?
You should NOT buy long-term care insurance if:
- You cannot afford the premiums.
- You have limited assets.
- Your only source of income is a Social Security benefit of Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
- You often have trouble paying for utilities, food, medicine, or other important needs.
- You are on Medicaid.
You should CONSIDER buying long-term care insurance if:
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You have significant assets and income.
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You want to protect some of your assets and income.
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You can pay premiums, including possible premium increases, without financial
difficulty.
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You want to stay independent of the support of others.
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You want to have the flexibility of choosing care in the setting you prefer or
will be most comfortable in.
How do you purchase long-term care insurance?
There are several avenues to pursue in the long-term care insurance market:
- Individual policies - Most long-term care insurance policies are sold to individuals by insurance
agents. Individual policies can be very different from one company to the next.
Each company may also offer policies with different combinations of benefits.
Be sure to comparison shop among policies, companies and agents to find the
coverage that best fits your needs. Be sure to ask companies whether they have
increased the rates on their long-term care insurance policies. Call and check
with the Idaho Department of Insurance to confirm that the insurance company is
licensed to do business in Idaho. You may also want to check the financial
stability of the company by checking it's ratings. You can get some ratings by
asking the Idaho Department of Insurance for them, or you can check some
insurer rating services for free at most public libraries.
- Employee policies - Your employer may offer a group long-term care insurance plan. The employer
group plan may be similar to what you could buy in an individual policy. One
advantage of an employer-group plan is you may not have to meet any medical
requirements to get a policy.
- Association policies - Many associations let insurance companies and agents offer long-term care
insurance to their members. These policies are like other types of long-term
care insurance. As with employer group policies, association policies usually
give their members a choice of benefits options. Policies sold through
associations usually let members keep their coverage after leaving the
association. Be careful about joining an association just to buy insurance
coverage. Review your rights if the policy is terminated or canceled.
- Life insurance policies - Some life insurance policies offer long-term care benefits as part of the
policy or as a rider to the policy. Benefits may be incidental to the life
insurance coverage, and may not be as inclusive as they are under a separate
long-term care policy. Be sure to compare the benefits and premiums before you
decide if a life insurance policy is how you want to purchase long-term care
insurance.
Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program
For additional information, order
"A Shoppers Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance"
.
Need more info? Contact us at 208 334-4319 or email us
.
Consumer Affairs Officers are available to answer your questions 8-5 M-F MST