Delaware
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that Delaware had a population of 925,749 in 2013. Nearly 16% of its residents were 65 years of age and above. The Delaware Population Consortium estimates that the state will be home to a total of 185,863 senior citizens in 2020. This figure may increase up to 253,183 after ten years, and may equal to 283,611 in 2040.
One of the diseases that often develop in older adults is diabetes, which affected 19.8% of Delaware adults aged 65 and up in 2012. Moreover, 9.6% of Delaware’s overall adult population had this chronic ailment. The Delaware Health and Social Services also reported that 87% of diabetes patients were obese or were overweight.
Aside from poor diet, unhealthy habits can result in chronic health conditions as well. Nearly 20% of adults in Delaware aged 18 and above smoked regularly in 2012. This figure equaled to one out of five individuals. While 53% of adults noted that they did not use tobacco, 25% of adults with physical disabilities were reported as smokers.
According to 2010 data from AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, exactly 8% of Delaware senior citizens with disabilities specified that they had problems with cognitive abilities. Furthermore, dementia affected 48% of the state’s nursing facility residents.
Cost of Care
Below are the average daily cost* of long term care services in Delaware.
| City | Nursing Facility1 | Assisted Living1 | Adult Day Care2 | Home Health Aide3 |
| Dover | $283 | $159 | $50 | $132 |
| Wilmington | $270 | $175 | $76 | $120 |
Notes:
*Costs are rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
1Daily average for a private room.
2Based on five days of care per week.
3Based on six hours of care per day, five days per week.
Insurance Options
Custom Care III, a long term care insurance product by John Hancock, entered Delaware’s LTCI market on January 28, 2013. This LTCI policy comes with a feature called Benefit Builder, which costs lower than the traditional inflation options for this type of insurance. Automatic Crediting and Voluntary Buy-up Options allow policyholders to manage their finances more effectively.
John Hancock also implemented gender-based pricing on Delaware, along with four other states, on August 19, 2013. On the same date, the insurance carrier included Delaware to states that have its web-based sales system called LTC Captivate.
On December 9, 2013, MedAmerica made some modifications to the preferred health and marital discounts of its FlexCare LTCI product. FlexCare also has three new inflation options: the 3% Simple 2X Maximum, the 3% Compound 2X Maximum, and 5% Simple 2X Maximum. A waiting period that spans 20 Calendar Days can benefit individual businesses.
Delaware residents can also purchase LTCI policies from Bankers Life, Genworth, Massachusetts Mutual, Mutual of Omaha, New York Life, Northwestern, Physicians Mutual, State Farm, and Transamerica.
State Long Term Care Programs
Some skilled care and home health care coverage can be provided to seniors and individuals with disabilities through Medicare, a government health program. Medicare Part B, which covers medical equipment, therapy, and other services, involves monthly premiums and a yearly deductible.
The Medicaid health program pays for both home and community-based services and nursing facility services. Receiving this program’s benefits and requiring skilled or intermediate care are qualifications for enrolling in Delaware’s Nursing Facility Program. Skilled care facilities with affiliation to Medicaid provide care services to beneficiaries under this program.
Delaware decided to expand Medicaid coverage to more residents with financial challenges on January 1, 2014. The federally-facilitated Marketplace assesses if individuals can qualify for Medicaid.
Care recipients can look into a wide variety of LTC programs and services that are administered by the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD).
More Resources
To get more specific information regarding long term care services and insurance options in Delaware, please check the following websites:
Aging and Disability Resource Center
Provides an extensive guide about various services for seniors and people with disabilities.
Delaware Healthcare Association
Offers resource links for different concerns in long term care.
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