Monday, September 22, 2008

Long term care

Daily assistance in our living - something we are not imaginating during our retirement. Unfortunately, we ca never be sure - there is 50% chance of needing long term care after your 75 (according to theUnderwriters LTC council in). This is the price for prolonging human lives....

Long term care insurance Canada - what it is? - It is tool, which will pay the insured individual a tax-free benefit every week, if their medical condition requires to be given assistance with two out of the six activities of normal daily life. Bathing, eating, dressing, toileting,maintaining continence and transferring are all among (usually closer specified by each policy).

Our society is getting older and the expenses aimed on the senior citizens are growing. It creates pressure on public funds, which will be hardly sustainable in some years. Possible answer is the private long term care insurance. I have prepared short presentation in case you want to visit your broker prepared!

Temporary or Ongoing?
Temporary care occurs for weeks or months and is used to describe rehabilitation periods from a hospital stay, recovering from surgery, illnesses or injuries or terminal medicalconditions. Ongoing long term care means the need of assistance in caseof chronic medical conditions or chronic severe pain, permanent disabilities or dementia.

Skilled or Custodial care?
The first one refers to services which can be provided only by licenced medical personnel. On the other hand custodial care refers to services, which are not so complicated to be provided by licensed personnel only - it can be given by any individual. Some long term policies only cover skilled care.

Setting
Policies usually have specific limitations reffering to possible facilities - care can be provided at home, in the home of a family member or friend of the recipient, adult dayservices location, in an assisted living facility or board-and-carehome, hospice facilities or nursing home.

Elimination periods
The same as disability insurance in Canada - it refers to the amount of time which must pass before you begin to receive your weekly benefit. The benefitperiod determines how long you’ll receive the coverage for.

Premiums
Simply - how much are you going to pay for your policy. Elimination period, benefit period and the amount of daily benefits - these are the key factors to influence the premiums. Pay extra attention to premium caps, as most LTC policies inCanada offer guaranteed premiums only for the first 5 years after thepolicy takes effect.

Riders
The most important ones are the "cost ofliving adjustment" and "return a premium" riders. The former allows the benefit to be raised according inflation, whereas the return of premium benefit returns the premiums to your beneficiary in the event you passaway.