Why Long-Term Care Insurance Should Be Considered

• Medicare will only pay for limited periods of nursing care following a hospital stay.
• Medicare will not pay for long-term care that involves non-medical help with daily tasks, e.g., bathing, dressing.
• Medigap policies and regular health insurance plans do not usually pay for long-term care that involves non-medical help.
• Medicaid, the federal-state public assistance program for the poor, does pay for nursing home costs but only after a person "spends-down" their assets to a level where they can qualify for aid.
• According to the 2004 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home and Nursing Home Care Costs, the average daily cost of a private room in a nursing home in the U.S. is $70,080 a year. This amount has increased $4015 since the 2003 survey.
• Many people prefer to receive care in their homes.