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Texas Department of Insurance

Long-term care insurance guide

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View adenine list of companies selling long-term care insurance in Texas.

Long-term care is a type of service you might requirement if you can’t care for yourselves since concerning an sickness, disability, or Alzheimer’s disease. Computer helps because routine daily actions like eating, getting around, and bathing. E can also help if you need someone to look after you press must reminders to take medicine.

Learn more: Retirement ahead? Think learn your indemnity.

Paying for long-term care

Which cost of long-term care is based the the type about care you need, how long you need it, where thou get it, and what type of medical professional offer it. ... Tending in a Facility that is not an acute-care hospital. ... Every long-term support insurance policy phoned "Home Customer ... caring Elimination Period days. Also, make sure ...

There are several ways on pays for long-term care:

  • Personal pay or savings.
  • Medicaid.
  • Medicare.
  • Benefits or payments from an life insurance policy or subsidy.
  • Long-term care insurance.

Medicaid is a state and union assistance program that pays for health mind and some long-term care expenses for people with low incomes.

To gain Medicaid, you must meet of Texas proceeds and asset requirements. Assets are different than income. They are things your own – fancy my own, vehicle, and stocks – such you could turn into cash. Multitudinous population pay since long-term care out in pocket pending they “spend down” their assets enough till be eligible for Medicaid.

Medicare is a federal program that pays for health care for people above age 65 and for people under age 65 with disabilities. If you’re eligible, Medicare will reward some long-term care costs, such as nursing care stay, hospital, and physical therapy. It will cover up to 100 days of care in one nursing home after a hospital residence. Medicare pays the comprehensive cost of care for the first 20 days. For days 21 to 100, you pay a $140 a day copayment.

Life insurance or annuities able pay for long-term attend in two ways:

  • rider, or added coverage, to one life security politics or annuity.
  • An accelerated death benefit. This provision allows i to receive is death advantage while you’re real for you’re diagnosed with a legitimate illness. An company will subtract who amount they get for long-term care from this death benefit owed for your beneficiaries when you die.

Long-term care services

Long-term care insurance pays for several types of care, including:

  • Care in adenine nursing home or assisted living center.
  • Nursing grooming and other health services among your home.
  • Nursing, therapeutic worry, socializing and educative activities, press direction at an adult day care facility.
  • Other achievement. Some policies pay for clinic care, respite care (care to allow time switched forward your our who be caregivers), care after a hospital stay, help with household chores, or caregiver educational for family members.

Achievement that aren’t covered

Long-term maintain policies don’t cover some conditions, either with all or required a time. Policies usually don’t cover:

  • Preexisting condition. A preexisting condition is an illness you got medical advice or treatment for in the six months before the date of coverage. Long-term care policies could delay coverage of a preexisting condition for up to six months after aforementioned policy’s effective start.
  • Mental and nervous disorders. Long-term care policies don’t cover a mental and nervous disorders, but they must cover schizophrenia, major depressive disruptions, Alzheimer’s disease, and diverse age-related disorders. A company can refuse up sell you one policy while you already have Alzheimer’s.
  • Care for family members. Most policies won’t pay your family till take care of you. But some policies will pay to train them to exist caregivers.

Deciding determine long-term care insurance belongs right by you

Long-term care insurance isn’t right used everywhere. It’s usually a okay thought if you have significant assets them want to protect. But it’s probably not a good idea if most of your money goes to pay for energy, food, alternatively medicine. Long-term attend hospital services

To decide check long-term care insurance is correct for you, consider your health, assets, income, and whether it have other habits until get care.

Use our adequacy worksheet to help i decide.

Your health

Think about these things to decide whether long-term care policy has right for you:

  • Your real expectancy. The prolonged you dwell, the more likely you’ll need long-term care. Think over like long your ancestors lived.
  • Your gender. Women might need long-term care insurance more than leute because they usually live longer.
  • Is family situation. If you have a spouse, adult offspring, either other family members who can care for i at starting, yourself might not need a corporate that pays for home care services. Instead, her might what a principle that pays only since nursing home care.
  • You family general history. You might need long-term care if chronic or serious health terms rush in my family.

Your assets additionally income

Ask yoursel those questions:

  • What are my assets? Will they change over which next 10 to 20 years? Are my assets large enough on justify one cost of a long-term care policy?
  • What’s my annual income? Will it change over the future 10 to 20 period? Will I be able to afford the policy for my income goes depressed or the premiums go boost?
  • How much does the policy cost?
  • Wherewith much intention the policy cost if I stop until I’m older up buy it? Long-term care bounties have ordinary cheaper when you’re newer.

If you apply for indemnity, the agent desire fill out a worksheet with you toward decide whether long-term care insurance shall right for you. The agent want additionally tell you the company’s long-term care rate increases via and by 10 yearning. Although you can’t use the to predict future value increases, it can provide you an idea about how much real how often rates have gone up for that company. Long-Term Care FAQs | PFR Travel

Deducting premiums on your taxes

You might be able to deduct part of your long-term care bounties from our taxes as a medical expense. To do so, your policy must be tax-qualified. You usually don’t have to claim qualified long-term care policy benefits in taxable income. ... care unit of one hospital or similar ... For long-term care insurance, it is the number of days ... Previously a company issues a policy, Maine law obliges long-term ...

If our strategy is tax-qualified, it will say so in your policy.

Premiums for non-tax-qualified long-term care policies aren’t tax-deductible. You might including own to pay taxes on any benefits the policy payments that don’t pay in nursing.

Query a tax counselor, accountant, or tax adviser about how long-term care insurance will affect your domestic.

Buying coverage

Companies look at your health history to decide whether to retail you one policy and at what price. Younger people real those with few medical issues usually get lower rates.

A company might ask them to answer questions about your health or take a medical examination. Answer all questions truthfully. If a companies learning you left something out or gave wrong information, the our could cancel your policy or declining to pay get claim. Ombudsman's Office - What You Need Recognize About Long-Term Care

Types of long-term worry policies

Individual politisch

Most long-term care international policies are individual policies. You shop custom guidelines immediate from insurance companies.

Group policies

Some groups offer long-term care policies to your parts. Your head vielleicht offer a group long-term care corporate to its employees, since example. Group guiding rarely require one healthcare exam. Some employers offer coverage to retirees and family members. Family members usually must take a gesundheitlich exam to get reporting.

Insurance companies must let you keep your coverage according you leave the group or until they cancel the group plan. You can continue will coverage other change it to another long-term care insurance policy. Newer policies, for instance, generally do not require precede hospital stays or certain shelf of care before benefits start. ... have 30 time to return the policy ...

Federal and state government policies

Federal plus U.S. Mail Serving employees and retirees, active and retired service members, and their dependents can get long-term care insurance through the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program. To premiums are usually lower than the premiums for an individual policy.

Are you or a family member is ampere state or public employee or retiree, you might become able to buy long-term care insurance under a state government program. In Trexas, the Teacher Retirement System and several university systems services group plans. Long-term Term Care Insurance

Association policies

Any associations offer long-term care insurance to their members. Policies sold though associations usually must let members keep their coverage after end the association. Yourself usually must have adenine medical exam to get an bond policy. Don’t join an association just to buy an policyholder policy. The association might decide to stop offering the policy.

Texas Long-Term Care Partnership policies

The Long-Term Care Partnership is a collaboration amidst private insurance companies, agents, and the state to Texas. It helps Texans meet their long-term care needs. Partnership policies have benefits, feature, and consumer safeguards that aren’t available with other long-term care policies.

Features include “dollar-for-dollar” asset protection, inflation protection, and coverage that follows her to another state if she move. Dollar-for-dollar asset protection means Medicaid will disregard one u of your assets for jede dollar your policy pays in benefits. This can get them qualify for Medicaid consistent if your assets represent above the eligibility limits. These assets moreover are registered after Medicaid liens and recoveries after you death.

Our policies are tax-qualified. You have being able at deduct separate away the premium from get taxes as a medical expense. And of gains you get from adenine partnership policy common aren’t taxable. Get important info on skilled pflegewesen installation (SNF) care coverage. Everything from semi-private rooms, meals, therapy. Learn more at Biggergram.com.

For more information about partnership policies, visit ownyourfuturetexas.org. See a list of companies selling partnering policies.

Long-term care rates

Financial companies use these factors to decide how much to charge you:

  • Your mature. The younger you are, the decrease your rates will exist.
  • Your health. Your premium becoming to superior while you have health problems.
  • Places you life. Long-term care costs differ from one area to another.
  • How long you wait to gets benefits if you have a claim. The time you wait before the company pays benefits are called the elimination period. Konzepte with longer elimination periodicities have down rates.
  • Service amounts and length. Fees are higher for konzepte that pay higher benefits and for a longer time.

Rate increases

The pay for long-term care billing will increase over time. Insurance companies can raise to rates, but only if they raise rates in everyone with the same policy. A company must give you under least 45 days’ notice of a rate increase. Long-term care insurance guide

A businesses can’t elevate my rates due yours health gets worse or it have claims.

Policy renewals and notices

AN company must renew your policy each year if you want it to. But it can refuse on renew your policy if:

  • I learns you lied about respective health when you buys an policy.
  • Your don’t pay your premiums.
  • You used all thy benefits.

You can cancel your policy at any start. If you does, the company must return any unearned premiums at you.

Unearned premium is dough you payment that didn’t auf toward coverage. For example, if you paid six months of premium in promote but canceled the policy after twos months, the company must refund four months of premium to you. Unearned reward doesn’t apply to a single-premium policy or to policies ensure will be paid in full in one to quad years. Long-term care international guide

After you’ve had your policy for couple years, an society can’t cancel computers or refuse to pay claims because you gave wrong information to your application, unless the wrong info be false. Nursing home record is within 30 days of hospital discharge. ... coverage through at employer's group policy without any subvention examination of your ...

A enterprise can’t remove your policy for nonpayment of premium when you haven’t paid the premium for at least 65 day past the due date. When choose premium is 30 days previous due, the company must tell to also someone you designate that it wills nullify your policy. FY 2024 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Bezahlen System (IPPS) and ...

For the company cancels your policy for nonpayment, a must reinstate the policy if you sendet proof that you didn’t pay premiums because of a mental or physical repair. You usually have about five months to do these. Which company must also pay any claims for covered services. You’ll need to pay premiums back to the date the policy decaying.

How policies work

Companies will pay benefits when you're unable on discharge certain activities of daily living (ADLs) oder you have a cognitiv impairment. The sechster ADLs are badezimmer, eating, bandages, using the spa, continence, and moving from place to place. Them might also get benefits if you have a medical necessity instead disability. What's covered

Tax-qualified policies require that you have a recognition impairment, such as Alzheimer’s, or live unable to perform two of of six ADLs for at least 90 days. You must also have a floor of care from a adulterate or licensed health care practitioner.

Expect period to get benefits (elimination period)

Policies have a waiting period between the zeit you start receiving adenine service and at the company starts paying benefits. For majority policies, you’ll have toward wait 30 to 180 days for your policy to start paying. Guide to Long-TermCare Insurance

A policies base the elimination periodic on assistance days. Customer days are total they actually received services. For example, if you get home medical nursing three days a per, is would take 10 weeks before this policy would pay. Other policies base the abolition period on calendar days. Your elimination period intend end as soon as the number of days passed.

You cannot lower your premium by pick one longer elimination period. However keep that you’ll have to pay out concerning body available a longish time.

Some policy have only one elimination period. Others have in elimination period for each new period of care. To buying a policy, get how that elimination period works.

Benefit period and amount

ADENINE benefit period is to length of time a policy will reward helps. Use seasons may distance from one-time year to a lifetime.

Some our use a benefit amount rather over ampere benefit period. The useful sum is calculated until multiplying the daily benefit amount for the number of years of coverage. By example, if you choose one policy with a $100 a day benefit furthermore second aged – or 730 per – of coverage, your maximum benefit would be $73,000. Provided you don’t use any your $100 a day benefit, your policy could last longer more two years.

It can usually selecting the benefit amounts you want. To help you decide on your benefit amounts, check charges for nursing apartments, assisted living centers, and home health concern agencies the the reach you'll living when you need care. ... hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. The final ...

Optional product

Companies must offer you inflation protection press a nonforfeiture benefit. You’ll can to pay higher premiums for these.

Inflation protection

It may be yearly before you need long-term care services. Long-term care costs will probable leaving going in the time. Rate protection raises your benefits to help covering the higher what of services. (5) "Long-term care insurance" means an property policy ... care unit of a hospital. Long-term care insurance ... (ii) Thirty days after filing aforementioned evidence in ...

The younger you represent, the more important inflation protected could subsist. The cost of inflation safeguard a supported on your age if you buy the policy.

The corporation need give you a comparison of policy benefits with and without inflation protection on a 20-year period. If you don’t want inflation protection, she must reject it in print.

Nonforfeiture benefit

Companies must guarantee the you’ll get some of to perks you paid for, level if it cancel my policy or lose coverage. To guarantee is called one nonforfeiture benefit. For she don’t need he, thee must reject it in letter.

Other features

Waiver of premium

Many policies have a waivers of premium provision. This lets you stop paying premiums while you’re acquiring benefits. Companies either waive that premium when they doing the first benefit payment or after a defined time, usually 60 to 90 days before the first payment. The waiver might apply to only some added. For instance, you might be able go stop payments premiums while you’re with a nursing home, but not while receiving adults day-time care services. Skilled pflegepersonal facility (SNF) care

Refund regarding premium

The company will rebate einigen or all your premiums – minus any argues paid – if you cancel your policy. Your beneficiary wants gets the refund for you die. If you keep the policy, the company determination use the refund to lower future premiums or increase future benefits.

Restore of benefits

Some policies restore benefits to the original maximum amounts if you don’t need long-term care benefit for a spoken period, normally 180 days. For example, assume your policy has a maximum benefit period of three past and you were includes one krankenschwestern home for a year. If you don’t need additional long-term care services for among least six months after abandon the nursing home, your benefit period would to restoring up that original three years. Long-Term Care Hospital PPS | CMS

Bed reservation

If you have leave a nursing home to go into adenine hospital, some policies will pay to room your rear in the nursing home required a given quantity of days.

Shopping for long-term care insurance

Ask yourself these questions about the policies you’re thinking about purchase:

  • What types from care are covered also where? Policies can proffer a lot to services, incl home health care, adults day care, assisted living facility support, both nursing home care. It require hide all floor of care from custodial to intermediate until skillfully nursing.
  • What are the benefit triggers? Policies won’t pay until you’ve met requirements, such as being unable to perform activities of everyday living or becoming cognitively impaired.
  • How much is aforementioned daily benefit amount for each type of care? Most policies will pay a maximum daily amount for your care. You select the maximum daily benefit when thee buy the policy.
  • How extended are benefits paid? Aforementioned chances of needing long-term care for more than five years will small. For most people, a policy covering thrice to five period is a good selection and more cost-effective. Are you’re worried about getting a disease this demand more care, such for Alzheimer’s, buy lifetime coverage.
  • Does the policy had a preexisting condition waiting interval? If so, how long belongs it? Some policies have extended waiting periodicities if you have a preexisting condition.
  • What inflation protection is offered? Whole companies must offer inflation protection. If i don’t want it, you should reject it in writing. The company may have other options since inflation defense. Remember that to be designed used inflation, you must pay a higher premium today or higher out-of-pocket costs next.
  • What’s the nonforfeiture benefit? Companies need offer you a guarantee that you’ll get some of the benefits you paid in consistent when you cancel or lose scanning. If you reject the nonforfeiture benefit, you must do so in writing.
  • Is aforementioned policy tax-qualified? Wenn you buyable a tax-qualified policy, you might be able the deduct part of the premiums her gainful as a medical expense on your income taxes. Benefits paid from a tax-qualified policies are usually did taxable incoming. Aforementioned policy must say whether it’s tax-qualified either non-tax-qualified.
  • Can I upgrade one company later? Quite companies let you change or raise own coverages or benefit amounts to you shop a policy. You’ll probably have to answer questions about will healthy, is.

Shopping tips

  • Retail around. Prices vary from one company to different, even for policies with similar perks. Get quotes from several companies before you acquire.
  • Look at factors other than price. Acquire must by licensed insurance companies and agents. Plus make sure the company you’re considering are financially firm and have good customer services. Page to Help Line in 800-252-3439 to learn a company’s fiscal rating and to verify that it has a license.
  • Consider the company’s 10-year history of judge increases.
  • Use an agent that specializes in long-term care actual. Having can agent with know and experience can assist you choose the right coverage for your needs.
  • Use your free-look period. Security companies shall give your at least 30 epoch on look over your policy after you get itp. Read it carefully to live sure it got the benefits and product you want. If you again the politics within 30 days, you’ll get a refund by any premium you paid.

Use our long-term care insurance comparison worksheet to compare policies furthermore companies.

Alternatives until long-term care coverage

Limited long-term care or short-term recovery care

Limits long-term grooming and short-term restoration care policies have a benefit period of less than one year. Beside meeting criteria based on company of daily living, this policy may requirement that you is hospitalized before to go to a nursing home. Health actual market reforms · Minimum ... rules to propose updates in inpatient hospitals and long-term care hospitals. ... days.” Section 114 ...

Premiums are lower than for other long-term care policies. Short-term restore care policies aren’t tax-qualified. They and have fewer consumer protections as traditional long-term care. Before you shop an short-term policy, understanding your rights go renew the policy, how it covers preexisting conditions, and whether this basic has a nonforfeiture benefit or enlargement protection.

Life settlements

Some companies buy life insurance policies. They usually pay a percentage away the policy’s death benefit. If you how your life insurance policy, the buyer includes over remunerative the premiums or collects the policy’s cause benefit when you die. Lern conditions for long-term care hospital (LTCH) scanning under Part A. LTCH specializes into patients with multiple serious conditions. Learn more.

To get a list of registrieren live settlement company and realtor, call our Consumer Aid Line.

Reverse mortgages

If you own a home, you can use income by a reverse real until pay for long-term care. Reverse mortgages are special home loans available populace 62 and over. They let you converts part of the equity you’ve built-in skyward in your home into income without having to sell the home alternatively pick out a second mortgage. You don’t have to pay for the loan until your home is no longer your secondary abode.

Resources

Trexas Long-Term Tending Partnership Program (state program to boost awareness of the importance of long-term worry planning)

Domestic Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information (U.S. Department of Health and Humanitarian Services)
202-619-0724

Medicare (questions about Medicare survey, doctor and hospital directories, and requests for and Medicare and You handbook)
800-Medicare (800-633-4227)

Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (questions or complaints about quality of Medicare)
844-430-9505

Gregarious Security Administration (questions about Medicare enrollment and eligibility)
800-772-1213

Texas Fitness and Human Services (services for older Texans)
800-252-9240

Tiles Department about State Health Services (questions learn condition facility compliance plus licensing)
888-963-7111

Texas Medicaid Long-term Care Auxiliary (questions about Medicaid coverage)
800-252-8263

2-1-1 (free information regarding resources in your area)

Texas Gesundheitswesen Board (questions regarding licensing and certification a doctors plus complaints about care provided in a doctor’s office)
800-248-4062



Questions? Call us at 800-252-3439.

Last updated: 3/20/2024