Long Term Care Insurance or LTCi is a private insurance policy that pays for long term care including home care, adult day care, assisted living, and nursing home care. Only about 10% of the elderly own a private LTCi policy but over 70% will require long term care at some point. If you do not have a LTCi policy, you have to pay the cost out-of-pocket and it is very easy to outlive your assets at today’s prices.
Once you are out of assets and can no longer pay for the high cost of senior care, the Medicaid program pays for care in a nursing home. To qualify for Medicaid, your countable assets (primarily your liquid assets, checking, savings, money market, mutual funds, CDs, etc) must be spent down to ≤ $2,000 in Kansas and ≤ $999 in Missouri. When you pass, your family is left with very little. However, with knowledge and the right LTCi plan, you can leave your family hundreds of thousands of dollars, even if Medicaid is needed.
By purchasing an LTCi plan that is qualified as a State Partnership plan, you do not have to spend your assets down to the traditional figures above. You qualify for Medicaid when your assets equal the total amount paid out by the LTCi policy. The LTC Partnership program provides dollar-for-dollar asset protection. Each dollar that your Partnership policy pays out in benefits entitles you to keep a dollar of your assets if you ever need to apply for Medicaid Services.
Example: You have $220,000 in countable assets and your LTCi State Partnership policy pays out $200,000 in total benefit, you would spend down your assets to $200,000 and qualify for Medicaid. With this plan, when you pass, you leave your estate/family with $200,000. Without the plan, you leave your estate/family with $2,000 or $999. This stunning difference makes purchasing an LTCi State Partnership plan a “no-brainer”.
For more information about this incredible information, contact Steve Kuker at (913) 945-2800 or Steve.Kuker@SeniorCareConsulting.com