An awareness and educational campaign focused on long-term care insurance claims is being initiated by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.
"If you want to know how much long-term care insurance protection to buy, it's helpful to know how and how much insurance benefits people actually use," explains Jesse Slome, director of the long-term care insurance organization. "Information on policy claims can be very valuable for consumers considering buying a policy."
Each year insurance companies pay benefits to several hundred thousand individuals placing long-term care insurance claims on their policy. "There is a ton of information online recommending that people purchase coverage," Slome admits. "However, much of it focuses on older concepts and, in my opinion, doesn't help consumers make better decisions."
The first piece of information released by the Association focuses on where long-term care insurance claims start.
According to the Association, some 73 percent of new long-term care insurance claims begin with the policyholder receiving care in their own home. Some 18 percent begin their claim receiving care in an assisted living facility. Eight percent start with care in a nursing home. The data is based on traditional long-term care insurance policies which constitute the majority of policies written over the past three decades.
"The typical consumer associates long-term care insurance with a nursing home need," Slome admits. "And since they don't really consider a nursing home stay a risk, that's one reason they do not learn more about this protection."
"You buy insurance to protect against real risks and real needs," Slome adds. "The risk of needing care in your own home is real. Next we'll look at the reasons why people need care at home, how long care is needed and what it costs."
The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) advocates for the importance of planning and supports insurance professionals who market both traditional and hybrid LTC solutions. To obtain long-term care insurance costs from a long-term care insurance agent call the organization at 818-597-3227 or visit their website www.aaltci.org.
Jesse Slome is director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. He also directs the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance and the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance. To find local Medicare insurance brokers utilize the organization's free online directory.