Welcome to the Long Term Care Review Blog where you can ask questions, share your knowledge and experience, give tips, and get up-to-date consumer information about LTC.
All entries are monitored and will be deleted if inappropriate or are an advertisement for your services. If you are a LTC specialist you are welcome to contribute information and add a link to your site.
I became interested in LTC insurance at the age of 63 when my mother died and I was the “senior” of the family. All of a sudden I felt vulnerable and at the same time did not want to place unnecessary burdens on my children if or when the time came.
My parents had taken out a long term care insurance policy when they were 53 yrs old (according to experts the best time to take one out is at 55) and it was a tremendous help to my mother when my father was ill for 2 years. And for my brother and myself, the care-givers relieved us so we did not have to attend to her needs 24/7.
We still wanted to be to help and did not want our mother to be put in a nursing home – ever. We wanted her to be able to enjoy the familiar surroundings and comforts of her own home. And the LTC insurance helped us to accomplish these outcomes.
As for myself, I thought the policy insurance would be outrageous since I had cancer twice, but after finding an expert long term care agent, was able to secure a very reasonable rate with with a reputable well-known company.
It is very important to know what questions to ask and to get honest answers because there are so many scams out there. That is what this blog is all about, to ask your questions learn from other’s experiences.
Madeline Binder
P.S. If you want to advertise, please contact us as info (at) long-term-care-review.com .
The quest for the Fountain of Youth has a long history. People throughout history have struggled to find potions, strategies and other options for staying young and attractive. However, in the end the result is always the same. Gravity takes its toll on the body and time takes its toll of the soul.
Today the quest for eternal youth is still in full swing. There is a multi-billion dollar industry for beauty products that are aimed at anti-aging. These products range from moisturizers to revitalizers. There are even services that involve physically manipulating and removing parts of your body to make it look younger.
If you are in the battle against time then think about what is going to make your feel younger and healthier. These are the things that will make a real difference in your life. The better you feel on the inside the better you are going to look on the outside.
One way to reduce your stress and improve your outlook on life is to plan for your future. Having a long term care insurance policy in place. This policy will ensure that you can get the care that you need when you are injured or when you are sick. This policy will also give you the piece of mind that your life savings will not be destroyed by your medical needs. The reduction of this stress lowers your stress hormones, which are known to make you age prematurely.
When you are thinking about the types of insurance that you will need as you get older it is a good idea to think about where you live. Each state has its own set of hazards that you need to prepare for. In the state of Illinois you have to deal with climate, crowds, isolation and specific diseases, not to mention wildlife and genetic histories.
Most people will buy life insurance by the time that they are middle aged. This insurance is intended to protect the people that we love from financial disasters if we should die prematurely. This insurance is also designed to provide families with money to see to your final expenses and to provide them with a financial gift upon your living this world.
Major medical health insurance is designed to cover your normal medical expenses and temporary emergency medical expenses. This insurance is sometimes paid for by employers, however, this is not always the case. When you retire your employer provided insurance will disappear and you will either need to buy a new policy or rely on Medicare or Medicaid.
Major medical health insurance has limitations and gaps in its coverage. It is not intended to cover long-term medical treatments or care. This is something that many people do not understand. The gaps in coverage are why you need to purchase long term care insurance around the time that you retire from your job. This insurance product is designed to handle costs that are related to chronic medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, brain injuries and chronic physical injuries.
Getting a quote for long term care insurance is a good idea if you are interested in buying this type of insurance. Long term care insurance is a product that is intended to cover your costs that are not covered by Medicare or other health insurance policies. It is what is known as a supplemental health insurance product.
Everyday thousands of people request a quote on long term care insurance. However, their insurance quote requests have mistakes in them that limit the value of the quotes that they get. The following tips will help you to format your quote request so that it produces the best quotes possible.
The first tip is to remember to include your state. Long term care insurance varies by state. Also, insurance agents are licensed by state, meaning that they can only sell their insurance products to the people who live in states that they have a license to sell insurance in.
Identify what type of coverage you want and need. Insurance policies come in all shapes and sizes. If you do not know what coverage you want then chances are the responding agents are going to try and sell you a policy that is more comprehensive than you need. By knowing what type of coverage you need when you request your quote you will ensure that the insurance product quotes you receive will be better tailored to these needs.
Long term care insurance is not just a luxury anymore. Today it is critically important to have, regardless of what other financial assets or insurances you have. It is not a major medical insurance, this is something that is important to realize. Instead, it is supplemental health insurance that is used to fill in your coverage gaps.
The gaps that are created by other health insurance are going to vary depending on what insurance policies and products you have. Generally, however, they will include coverage caps and service limitations. For example, some health insurances will not cover home health care or rehabilitation services, while others may put a limit on how much they are willing to cover for each service type. Long term care insurance can help you to overcome these missing coverages.
Another gap that can be covered with long term care health insurance is the gap created by high deductibles. Deductibles for health insurance can be as high as $5,000 in some cases, so low cost long term care health insurance can be a great solution for covering the initial expenses that are not covered by your regular health insurance.
Long term care insurance is not a one size fits all insurance product. It comes in many different varieties. Each type of policy will offer you a unique collection of coverage options and premiums ranges.
The state that you live in impacts what long term care concerns you will have. If you happen to live in the state of Illinois, then your main health concerns will also be impacted by whether you live in Chicago or in a more rural town. Regardless of your risks you will want to plan ahead for your potential long term care needs.
The Illinois climate is the first hazard that you need to deal with when trying to mitigate for your long term care needs. The climate experiences both extremely high temperatures and extremely low temperatures. You need to learn how to remain safe when exposed to both high and low temperatures, and you also need to learn how to avoid weather related hazards like ice storms, blizzards and floods.
Contagious diseases are also a hazard in Illinois that you need to be aware of. There are many diseases that can lead to chronic care needs. For example, HIV cripples your immune system and requires chronic medication consumption and chronic health maintenance.
The next set of hazards that you need to deal with relate to city and rural lifestyles. Urban hazards include traffic accidents, violent crimes and pollution. Rural hazards include lack of available care, farm equipment accidents, car accidents and exposure to extreme weather. As you can see you really aren’t safe anywhere you live. This is why you need to be proactive when it comes to protecting your health and safety.
Long term health care insurance scams are just as prevalent as other types of scams. If you are interested in buying long term care insurance you need to be aware of tricks of the trade to prevent your pocketbook from being picked by unscrupulous insurance agencies and scam artists.
The first scam that you can be victimized by is one that claims to be an alternative option to long term care insurance. This scam sells a protection plan for long term care. While some of these offers may be legitimate, they are so new to the market that they have yet to be proven one way or the other. However, the medical coverage discount plans that cover long term care procedures are legitimate and if they are offered by reputable organizations are okay to buy.
Another scam, or rather trick, that some ltc insurance agents use is a high pressure sale tactic on vulnerable demographics. They may target senior citizens or people who have high risks for certain degenerative or chronic illnesses and try to scare them into buying a policy that is full of bells and whistles that they don’t need. It is important to understand what coverage you already have and compare it to what is covered by your other insurances. You don’t want to double up on your coverage as this is just a waste of money.
Have you been targeted by an insurance scam? Have you heard of an ltc scam? Do you know of insurance agents that are less than reputable? Post your remarks below and help others from being victimized.
Last Tuesday I watched an episode of Oprah that I found very interesting. It was on medical mistakes. I was shocked at the severity of the medical mistakes that were being routinely made for things like removing the wrong organs, operating on the wrong side of the body and giving the wrong medications to patients. Since this blog is all about protecting your health I thought that medical mistakes would make a good topic for discussion.
The first piece of advice that was given in this episode of Oprah by Dr. Oz was that you have to be your own advocate. This means speaking up for yourself and demanding the medical professionals that are caring for you to treat you like you matter. This includes asking them to wash their hands, to remove rings and other jewelry and to tuck in their neckties when examining or treating you. It also means seeking second and third opinions for medical treatments when you don’t agree with the recommendations made by your physician.
Another piece of advice that can help you to reduce your chances of needing long term care because of a medical mistake is to take steps to ensure you get the appropriate treatments. For example, Dr. Oz recommended that you write on your body which side to operate on and which side not to operate on. He said that you can write “cut here” on the side of your body that is supposed to be operated on and “don’t cut here” on the side that is not slated for surgery. These small steps can save you a lot of grief, pain and complications.
There are only a few weeks left in winter and spring will finally be here. This is good news for people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or who feel trapped by winter conditions. However, with every new season comes new hazards to be weary of, and in the springtime you need to be careful of allergens, outdoor activities and yard work.
Springtime allergies can lead to many problems from simple congestion to full blown cases of bronchitis. If you have an allergy problem that you suffer from year after to year visit your doctor. Talk to him or her about getting tested for allergies and if you have them see what treatment options you have. For some medication is a good option, however, for others a simple nettie pot works wonders.
The second major hazard associated with springtime is overexertion. This can lead to physical fatigue, strained muscles and other injuries. To prevent these problems you need to be smart about venturing back into an active lifestyle. Learn to stretch before starting outdoor chores and activities, build up your activity intensity level and wearing proper shoes and protective gear.
While there are many different hazards that can lead to injuries and health problems during the springtime, the spring is actually a great time of year for your health. The weather is mild and spirits tend to be high during this season. Also, most people enjoy getting outside and being more active. This spring take advantage of the weather and improve your health with more physical activity, by being careful when venturing outside and by enhancing the health of your diet. All of these things will help you to get the best long term care insurance rates.
