Problems with long term care costs are one riddle that remains unsolved by the federal overhaul.
Although the health care reforms of 2010 were designed to help to make coverage and care affordable and available to all Americans, the insurance news issue of long term care insurance and the rising expenses associated with it is not among the problems being dealt with by the changed laws.
The question of how to pay for LTC costs is still nagging the country and its aging population.
The health care reforms were designed to make sure that insurance plans were available for individuals with medical needs such as visiting a doctor, testing, treatments, surgeries, and other procedures and therapies. However, it doesn’t go into the price tag linked to having to assist individuals who are no longer able to perform their daily living tasks such as eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, and others that so many of us take for granted while we are young and healthy.
This issue goes above and beyond the health care reforms and their access to coverage for medical services.
Instead, this is an issue of long term care insurance, which is not a cheap one. This coverage may be inexpensive, but pays for the cost of in-home care, nursing homes, or other assisted living facilities, which are significantly pricier. Depending on the state, a semi-private room in a nursing home can easily run from $70,000 to $120,000 per year, or more. In-home assistance typically starts at about $19 per hour.
The supporters of the government’s health care reforms would say that the changes have come a long way to making sure that all Americans have access to the medical assistance that they need – and this may very well be true – but for many people, their needs are not fully satisfied within the doctor’s office. Many are left without the ability to live their daily lives and need financial help in order to be able to pay for the long term care assistance they need. It appears that, at least for now, it will still be up to individuals and their families to provide their own support for one another or purchase their own LTC insurance policies.
