You can get long-term care insurance from three sources, and these are:
Insurance Companies
Insurance companies sell individual long-term care insurance plans. When you choose to buy from them, you will need to apply and undergo the underwriting process, which involves evaluating your overall health to determine if you qualify for a policy.
When you buy an individual policy through an insurance company, you can custom-fit your coverage according to your needs. You can choose your policy’s benefit amount, benefit duration, elimination period, and other features.
In most cases, individual policies are purchased with the help of insurance agents and brokers.
Employers
Apart from health insurance, long-term care insurance can also be part of an employee’s benefits package. If you’re currently employed, see if you are entitled for it.
Getting insured through your company’s group plan is usually more affordable than buying an individual plan. Qualifying is also easier as there is no underwriting process involved. On the other hand, coverage from a group plan can be limited compared to an individual policy.
In most cases, coverage from an employer-sponsored plan will be cancelled once you leave the company, but you can retain a similar coverage if you choose to continue the premium on your own.
State Partnership Programs
Some long-term care insurance policies qualify for state partnership programs. This program allows policyholders to qualify for Medicaid benefits once their coverage runs out and keep a portion of their assets amounting to their policy’s total benefit amount.
For example, you have used up all of the benefits in your long-term care insurance policy amounting to $150,000. If you’re policy is under the state partnership program, you can qualify for Medicaid and keep up to $152,000 worth of your assets.
Check with your insurance company if the policy you’re eyeing is qualified under this program and how the program works in your state.
