Is LTCI Right for You?




There are just three ways to pay for long-term care: self-fund, private insurance or qualifying for government assistance. Determining if long-term care insurance is right for you is not very complicated. By asking you a few questions, we can help you determine the right funding method for you and your family.



Longevity and Lifestyles Changes

Because of medical and technological advances, most of us are likely to live long lives. Here is a Life Expectancy Calculator to help you predict how long you will live based on your life style, nutrition, medical history and other factors.

Traditionally, long-term care has been provided at home by family members. But our society has changed over the last two generations. Today, there are more women in the workforce, we have high divorce rates, we're having smaller families and family members may not live in the same city. Relying on family to provide long-term care is no longer the option it once was.

Consequences of Extended Life Expectancies

Although we are generally living longer, that does not necessarily mean we are healthy and able to live independently.

Longer lives often mean more dependency at some point. The longer we live, the greater the chance that we will need assistance with Activities of Daily Living, ADLs, or custodial care. ADLs are defined as bathing, dressing, continence, eating, toileting and transferring. Transferring is the ability to get in an out of bed or a chair and move from room to room.

Impact on Loved Ones

People who are burdened with the daily responsibilities of caregiving consistently report high levels of physical, emotional and mental stress. Depression among caregivers is common. Many of them have to take time away from work, suffer from exhaustion, and experience financial hardship.


Costs of Long-term Care Services

The best approach to providing long-term care services is to hire professionals to help with the ADLs. This can take place in the home, at an assisted living facility or a nursing home. However, this approach can be very expensive.

Depending upon the person’s needs, the cost for home care services can be more costly than nursing home care. Assisted living facilities range between $25,000 and $45,000 a year, and the cost for just one year in a nursing home averages about $75,000. Costs have increased about 4% on average year over year and are expected to continue to increase.

Who Will Pay For This Care?

Because traditional insurance plans like your health insurance, Medicare and Medicare supplements don’t pay for the ongoing custodial care, you will end up paying out of pocket for this care if you don’t have long-term care insurance. Your other types of insurance only pay for skilled medical services and short-term skilled rehab services; not custodial long-term care services.

If you cannot pay out of pocket and don’t have long-term care insurance, you may be forced to become dependant on the state/federal welfare program called Medicaid. It is not easy to qualify for Medicaid. The care services provided by Medicaid are usually provided in nursing homes. 


Protecting Yourself and Your Family

• Long-term care insurance is specifically designed to help protect you and your family from the financial, physical and emotional impoverishment associated with long-term care needs.
• Today’s comprehensive policies pay for a wide range of caregiving services in most settings: at your own home, adult day care centers, hospice, assisted living facilities, Alzheimer’s centers and nursing homes.

Now Is The Time To Consider Long-term Care Insurance

Qualifying for coverage and the premiums you pay are directly linked to your health and your age at the time you apply for coverage. So, it’s best to look into LTCI as early as your forties. 

Contact us at info@gurleyltci.com to determine if LTCI is right for you.