January 29, 2014

As life expectancy continues to rise, so does the possibility that an individual will require long-term care at the end of his or her life. A recent article states that 7 in 10 Americans will require long-term care at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, as life expectancies rise, so do the costs of long-term care.

Many families do not realize how high the costs of care are until they are trying to place a loved one in a facility.  Many studies estimate the cost to range from $8,000 per month to $13,000 per month.  At that point, it is too late to utilize any sort of planning or saving and the financial reality can be devastating. Therefore, it is important to have a plan to cover your long-term care costs. Below are three of the most common ways that people plan to pay for their long-term care.

1. Save and pay out of pocket: If you believe that you will be able to pay for your long-term care costs out-of-pocket, be sure to conduct some research to predict how much money you will need to save and account for contingencies.
2. Purchase long-term care insurance: Long-term care insurance is becoming a more popular method through which individuals pay for their long-term care costs. Importantly, be sure to purchase this early for the best rates.
3. Spend down your assets so that you apply for Medicaid: Medicaid is a needs-based program. Therefore, your assets must be below a specific threshold in order to qualify for benefits. If you are above the threshold, you may be able to carefully spend your assets down until you qualify for coverage.

Which is right for your family?