Using long-term care insurance to pay for home care.

Long-term care insurance is not the same as health insurance

This trips up almost everyone, so let's be clear: your regular health insurance — and Medicare — will not pay for ongoing help with daily living at home. That coverage comes from a separate policy called long-term care (LTC) insurance, which people buy specifically to cover care as they age. If you have one, it's one of the most valuable things you own. If you don't, home care is paid privately, out of pocket.

What a long-term care policy typically covers

• In-home caregivers (CNA / HHA) and, often, skilled nursing
• A set daily or monthly benefit amount, for a set number of years
• Care that begins after your policy's "elimination period" is met

Two terms worth knowing

The elimination period is a waiting period — often 30, 60, or 90 days — that you pay out of pocket before benefits begin. Think of it as the policy's deductible, measured in days of care rather than dollars. Once it's satisfied, covered care can cost you nothing out of pocket, up to your daily benefit.

Assignment of benefits is a form that lets the insurer pay Best Care directly, instead of reimbursing you after the fact. With it signed, you're not fronting the money and chasing a refund every month.

We file the claims for you

LTC insurers are notorious for paperwork, and a small mistake can delay a claim for weeks. Our Concierge Program includes free, in-home claims management: we verify your benefits, complete the assignment of benefits, and file the ongoing claims so the money flows without you refereeing it. A nursing assessment on your first date of service is included in the daily benefit.

If you don't have a long-term care policy

You can still have Best Care — care is simply paid privately, meaning the funds come from you directly, at roughly $30 an hour depending on the level of care. Many families use a mix: a parent's savings, contributions from adult children, or proceeds from a life-insurance conversion. Call us and we'll lay out the real numbers for your situation.