Paying for Long-Term Care

Long-term care is a type of personal care service older adults may need if they become unable to care for themselves because of a prolonged physical illness, a disability or a cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Long-term care can be expensive.

Long-term care insurance is designed to cover medical and personal services in a number of settings such as your home, adult day care, skilled nursing facility or assisted living community. Most long-term care insurance policies are individual policies and can differ from one company to the next.

According to medicare.org, long-term care may be divided into three levels:

Skilled care is continuous “around-the-clock” care designed to treat a medical condition and performed by skilled medical personnel, such as registered nurses or professional therapists.

Intermediate care is intermittent nursing and rehabilitative care provided by registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse’s aides under the supervision of a physician.

Custodial care is designed to assist with one’s activities of daily living (such as bathing, eating and dressing). It can be provided by someone without professional medical skills but is supervised by a physician.

Texas created the Long-Term Care Partnership Program, which is a joint effort between private insurers and the state. For a list of companies participating in the program visit: tdi.texas.gov/consumer Ways to Pay • Medicaid • Medicare • Long-term care insurance • Long-term care riders attached to a life insurance policy or annuity • Accelerated death benefits from life insurance • Personal cash or savings