November – Long Term Care Awareness Month

Did you know that November is Long Term Care Awareness Month? Probably not. You probably don't even know what long-term care is and why you need it. This is likely why someone decided there needed to be a month dedicated to the topic

Long-term care is literally care that will last for long time. This can be due to a debilitating accident or illness that requires you or someone you love to have care on a daily basis for months or years.

What would you do if you were to find yourself or a loved one in this situation? They are ill and cannot care for themselves every day. They need a caretaker who can assist in anything from eating to bathing and other daily necessities?

There is usually one of a few ways to go with this. Either someone in the family becomes the full time caretaker or they hire someone to do this for them.

Taking on a caretaker position is physically and mentally demanding. It also is a full time job. This means the person doing this will not be able to take on any other jobs during this time. For this reason many people hire someone to do this job. But this can be extremely costly.

Health Insurance Coverage

Do you think that health insurance will cover long-term care? Think again! You should take a much closer look at your health insurance policy and you may notice that long-term care is not a portion of their coverage. It is a separate policy that you will have to purchase.

Getting a Long Term Care Policy

Many people think they don’t need to worry about long term care insurance right now. There are better bills to pay, right? Wrong. You don't know what will happen today or tomorrow and if you may need that care suddenly. If you don’t have it, you could be in deep financial trouble. This is a type of insurance that it is vital to be proactive on.

Get a Break

When you are looking into long-term care insurance there are a few things to keep in mind. First, many states also allow tax breaks for buying long term care insurance. Look your state up and make sure you take any deductions you can. Second, shop around. Use a comparison website so you can find out who really has the best deals on the coverage you need.

About the Author

Steve Sikes is an MBA and writes articles on insurance and other financial products. To read other educational articles on insurance at the InsuredItAll Learning Center or to get free insurance quotes for auto, home, health, life or long term care insurance, you will want to visit www.InsuredItAll.com