If you have a chronic illness, disability or other significant medical condition, then you might need additional assistance in order to live your life comfortably. Sometimes, you will just need assistance at home, while in other cases you will need to reside within a facility, either permanently or temporarily. 

Under these circumstances, your standard medical benefits might not provide full coverage for your ongoing needs. Rather, long-term care insurance can step in to cover these costs. Therefore, it will substantially reduce your personal cost burden for receiving these services. 

Suppose that you have one of the following conditions: 

• You are chronically ill.

• You have a disability that makes it difficult or impossible to live unaided.

• You have a degenerative condition such as Alzheimer's disease or ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).

• Your age and a combination of conditions have made living alone difficult.

Under the circumstances, you might need a variety of services, including: 

• In-home care.

• Nursing home care.

• Adult daycare.

• Care in an assisted living facility.

When you need this care, you can file a claim against your long-term care policy. Though your medical insurance might provide a level of coverage for some of the costs of care, an LTC policy will more comprehensively provide coverage. Therefore, your overall financial burden will be much lower, allowing you to maintain and preserve your own savings for other matters. 

Nearly anyone can qualify for long-term care insurance. However, you cannot enroll in coverage at the time that you need it, such as when you are ready to go to a nursing home. The application process will include questions about your health and wellbeing, and you can be turned down for coverage if an insurer deems you a high risk. It helps to buy a policy while you are still young and in good health. 

To file a claim on your LTC policy, you must be unable to live completely on your own. Most insurers require you to be unable to perform at least two activities of daily living (ADLs) before they will honor a claim.  

Qualifying ADLs can include: 


Most policies require a waiting period before you can receive benefits. You might have to pay for your own care costs for a period of 30, 60 or 90 days, at which time your benefits will begin to pay. 

Long-term care policies also generally pay up to a daily limit for care, in addition to having a lifetime limit on coverage. Therefore, you might still face outstanding costs of care even after your benefits have paid. However, by taking both your prospective care needs and your personal finances into account, you can determine the right level of benefits you will need to receive at the time you need to file a claim. 

Numerous factors can affect the cost of your long-term care policy. These include your age, gender, marital status and similar factors. Plus, the insurance company you choose and the amount of coverage you purchase will impact your premiums directly. That’s why your SWFL Insurance agent will work with you to both analyze your coverage needs and pinpoint the LTC carrier that will offer you the most comprehensive protection at the best value.