People are living longer than ever these days. Unfortunately, they are not always able to take care of themselves throughout their entire life. Often people either outlive their spouse, or no longer have family around when they get to the point that they can’t take care of themselves anymore. Long term care may be required at some point in life if you need help moving and caring for yourself due to mental deterioration, an injury such as a broken hip, or simply due to age.
In spite of the name, long term care is not always for a long period of time. About one half of all nursing home stays are six months or less. Some people may need to have extra assistance to help them recover from an injury or illness, while others may need it for the rest of their lives.
Regular health insurance plans will not pay for long term care. A 2002 study showed that the average daily cost of a California nursing home was $141 per day. At that time, rates had been rising at the rate of 5% per year, and are expected to continue to rise at that rate. Medicare can be expected to pay for part of your care for 100 days or less, and Medi-Cal can pick up the rest of the bill, provided you meet state poverty guidelines.
For those that won’t meet these guidelines and have no family members available to take care of them, long term care insurance is available for purchase. There are a variety of policies available. However, it can be difficult to navigate what your choices are. That’s why you should count on a California health insurance agent to help you decipher the coverage and determine what’s best for you. Turn to the experts at BenefitPackages for assistance. We’ve been helping people since 1987 with finding an affordable California health insurance plan.