1. Everyone wants home care.

• No one wants to go to a nursing home and no one has to. But they need a plan.
• No matter where you live you can get home care. But have you planned for it?
• If you don't plan you may not have a choice.
• Like a fire drill, unless you have a plan you will be responding to a crisis without a plan and like a fire without a fire plan the damage could be much worse.
• If you are ready to make a plan, we are here to help.
• You have started to plan by reading this. Make a complete plan now, before you don't have the choice.

2. The time to plan for home care is before you need it.

• If you or your spouse were to need care tomorrow what plan do you have?
• 40% of those receiving long-term care are 18-65
• Too often people wait until their health changes before they look into planning. Now they have few choices.
• Do you believe that your health can change at any time?
• If so how do you feel about being uninsured?
  
• If not do you know of anyone who has needed long-term care? Didn't it happen suddenly? A stroke, car accident, surgery, etc.
• If you can qualify it will never be cheaper than today to insure.

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3. How to plan for home care.

• You want to do all the research, evaluations, interviews, and shoulder some liability.
  • Contact your health care provider (HMO, PPO), and the local Medicare and Medicaid offices for documentation on what is and is not covered.
  • Get a list of care providers out of the phone book. Call and arrange appointments to interview them and find out what their rates and requirements/restrictions are.
  • Make a budget for how much home care you can afford based on the costs and your income.
• You don't want your spouse, yourself, or family to be burdened with care management. You want to have professionals set up and manage care.

4. How to pay for home care.

• Pay out-of-pocket also called self-pay or self-insured. Be ready to spend an average of $70,000+ for care per year.
• Transfer the financial risk from yourself to an insurance company, like you do for your home, car, and health.
• Everyone wants the best for the least, it's referred to as having Champaign Taste on a Beer Budget or wanting First-Class airline tickets at Coach prices. Yet again like most everything in life you get what you pay for. But even thought there are some nice nursing homes it's still a nursing home and not your home.

5. Doesn't the government pay?

• There are situations where Medicare and Medicaid may provide some home care for a period of time, usually until you are capable of being on your own or have someone to help out. If there is no one to help out you may have to move to a nursing home.
• Usually Medicare will cover 100% of the cost for the first 20 days after a 3 day hospitalization. From day 21-100 if you are still improving or need medical care (not home care) Medicare or your health insurance may pay. Whether or not you can get any home care is not certain.
• Your local Medicaid office will be able to furnish you with the details of how to qualify for welfare health care. (Medi-Cal in California)

6. Even if you decide not to do something you're still deciding!

• If you are comfortable continuing to risk self-insuring stop here.
• If you want some more time to think about it but later decide to insure, make sure you apply about 2 months before your health changes since it takes about that long to see if you qualify for insurance.
• Get a long-term care insurance quote and see if it is something you can afford. One way or another over 60% of Americans are going to spend their savings on long-term care or go on welfare (or both). -- US Govt GAO Report 2006

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If your health insurance, homeowners insurance and car insurance were to stop today how well would you sleep tonight?

In fact that's less of a risk than not having long-term care insurance.

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