WHO WILL NEED LONG-TERM CARE
QUALITY OF LONG-TERM CARE
According to the survey, over sixty-five percent (65%) of adults over the age of forty (40) have two or more doctors that they see on a regular basis. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of those report that their providers do not communicate well or at all. Further, the lack of understanding of the person-centered care approach is evident in that twenty-three percent (23%) of those individuals who don’t participate in it reported that it would not improve their quality of care.
COST OF LONG-TERM CARE
As for private insurance, most health insurance plans will not cover long-term services like a nursing home or ongoing care provided at home by a licensed home health care aide. Yet, eighteen percent (18%) of Americans age 40 and older believe that their insurance will cover the costs of ongoing nursing home care. While, twenty-five percent (25%) believe their plan will pay for ongoing care at home. About 1 in 5 people surveyed were unsure of the coverage provided for these types of long-term care services.
Medicaid is the largest payer of long-term care services. Medicaid is a federally and state funded needs-based benefit that will provide for various types of long-term care depending on the state’s regulations. In 2013, Medicaid paid for fifty-one percent (51%) of the national long-term care bill totaling $310 billion. However, fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans age 40 and older reported that they don’t expect to have to rely on Medicaid to help pay for their ongoing living assistance expenses as they age.
The actual costs for long-term care are staggering. The Genworth Survey reported that, nationwide, the average bill for a nursing home is approximately $80,300 and for home health care, approximately $44,616 with a variety of options among and in between these levels of care.
PLANNING FOR LONG-TERM CARE
The survey results lead to the conclusion that many Americans are reluctant to face the possible loss of independence related to aging. Apparently, this plays a role in the unwillingness to plan for the possibility of needing assistance later in life. As an example, there was an interesting difference in the number of people surveyed who had planned, or talked to loved ones about, their funeral arrangements (nearly sixty-five percent (65%)), in those who had discussed care preferences with family (about forty-two percent (42%)) and in those who had saved money for long-term care (approximately thirty-three percent (33%)). Some things, including how we want to be memorialized are just easier to think about than how we may end up dependent on others.
CONCLUSION
Although not a popular topic among Americans over the age of forty, long-term care is an increasingly important one. We are in the business of providing options for people in planning for their potential long-term care needs. If you, a loved one or a client needs help figuring out their options, please think of us. We can help and we are always happy to hear from you.
To comply with the U.S. Treasury regulations, we must inform you that (i) any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this newsletter was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any person for the purpose of avoiding U.S. federal tax penalties that may be imposed on such person and (ii) each taxpayer should seek advice from their tax advisor based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances.