Separating some eldercare facts from some eldercare myths.
How much does eldercare cost, and how do you arrange it when it is needed? The average person might have difficulty answering those two questions, for the answers are not widely known. For clarification, here are some facts to dispel some myths.
True or false: Medicare will pay for your mom or dad’s nursing home care.FALSE, because Medicare is not long-term care insurance.1
Part A of Medicare will pay the bill for up to 20 days of skilled nursing facility care – but after that, you or your parents may have to pay some costs out-of-pocket. After 100 days, Medicare will not pay a penny of nursing home costs – it will all have to be paid out-of-pocket, unless the patient can somehow go without skilled nursing care for 60 days or 30 days including a 3-day hospital stay. In those instances, Medicare’s “clock” resets.2True or false: a semi-private room in a nursing home costs about $35,000 a year.FALSE. According to Genworth Financial’s most recent Cost of Care Survey, the median cost is now $85,775. A semi-private room in an assisted living facility has a median annual cost of $45,000 annually. A home health aide? $49,192 yearly. Even if you just need someone to help mom or dad with eating, bathing, or getting dressed, the median hourly expense is not cheap: non-medical home aides, according to Genworth, run about $21 per hour, which at 10 hours a week means nearly $11,000 a year.3,4True or false: about 40% of today’s 65-year-olds will eventually need long-term care.FALSE. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that close to 70% will. About a third of 65-year-olds may never need such care, but one-fifth are projected to require it for more than five years.5
Stay tuned for next week’s article as we continue to explore the myths and facts surrounding Long-Term Care.
If you would like professional help with multiple options for Long-Term Care protection, call LWS (702-462-7233) for a complimentary consultation.
This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.
Investment Advisory Services are offered through Brookstone Capital Management, LLC (BCM), a Registered Investment Advisor. Insurance and annuity products are provided separately through Adam Goodman.Citations.1 – medicare.gov/coverage/long-term-care.html [6/5/18]2 – medicare.gov/coverage/long-term-care.html [6/5/18]3 – fool.com/retirement/2018/05/24/the-1-retirement-expense-were-still-not-preparing.aspx [5/24/18]4 – forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2017/09/26/the-staggering-prices-of-long-term-care-2017/ [9/26/17]5 – longtermcare.acl.gov/the-basics/how-much-care-will-you-need.html [10/10/17]
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