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long-term care insurance

Q&A: Long-term-care insurance

September 6, 2021 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I’d appreciate your thoughts about long-term-care insurance programs. Ours has just announced a 52% rate increase with a possible 25% increase next year. Although I realize that none of us can predict the future, are there any guidelines you can suggest for deciding whether, for example, an 80-year-old in good health needs the maximum 10-year coverage or can get by with a three-year coverage period?

Answer: Most people over 65 will need some kind of long-term care, but most need it for less than three years. You may want to err on the side of caution and opt for a longer coverage period if you have a family history of dementia.

Filed Under: Insurance, Q&A Tagged With: long-term care insurance, q&a

Q&A: Rising insurance premiums

December 16, 2019 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I’m an insurance agent specializing in long-term-care policies and just read your advice to the woman who was upset about how much her premiums had risen. Her premiums were $2,400 annually starting when she was 55 but are $4,470 now that she’s 77. First, thank you for noting that these premium increases are because insurance companies didn’t expect people to live so long and nursing home rates to increase so much. Please also tell your reader that, at her age, her premium for the coverage she has now would be well over $12,000! She bought early and she’s definitely getting a ridiculously low premium for the coverage she has. I’m sorry that she’s on a fixed income, but ask her how she’ll pay for a $60,000-per-year stay in a nursing home. If she can’t afford her premium, she should reduce her amount of time covered, not the amount of dollars covered.

Answer: Let’s be clear about who’s at fault here. It’s not the people who bought long-term-care insurance policies and expected them to remain affordable.

Insurers are supposed to be experts at predicting risk, but they made incorrect assumptions about how many people would drop their policies (known as the lapse rate), how many would file claims and how long those claims would last. Insurers also overestimated the returns they could get on their bond investments, which also help determine premiums.

All these stumbles have led to repeated premium increases that have threatened to make coverage unaffordable right when people need their coverage the most.

This woman is well aware of the high costs of long-term care; that’s why she bought the policy in the first place and kept paying it all these years. Her premium might seem “ridiculously low” to you, but anyone with an ounce of empathy could understand that $4,470 is a huge chunk of change for most seniors.

Keeping her coverage means giving up some of the benefits she was promised and had been counting on. Reducing the number of years the policy protects her, for example, could make her premium more affordable but leave her exposed to devastating costs if she needs many years of care.

This is a crappy situation for people who were trying to do the right thing. They don’t deserve to be sneered at for being upset about it.

Filed Under: Insurance, Q&A Tagged With: Insurance, insurance premiums, long-term care insurance, q&a

Q&A: If long-term care insurance costs too much, you have a choice to make

October 7, 2019 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: We were told to buy long-term care insurance early because waiting too long would make it more expensive and perhaps unavailable. I bought mine when I was 55. At the time, it was $2,400 a year. Unfortunately, the premiums just kept going up. I am now 77, and the premium this year was $4,470. The letter informing me of this increase said that next year it will go up 6% to $4,738, and 6% again the following year to $5,022. It’s very clear to me that buying the insurance early was definitely not an advantage. The insurer will obviously keep raising the premium at will. Since I am, like most people my age, on a fixed income, the time will come when I simply cannot afford these premiums. I will then lose the insurance plus all I have paid into it all these years. People should be told that the premiums will continue to rise, and that the time may come when the cost is beyond what anyone on a fixed income can afford.

Answer: Many people are in the same unfortunate situation. They purchased policies because they thought it was the prudent thing to do, only to face the possibility of losing coverage as premiums continued to rise.

Companies that offered long-term care insurance starting in the 1980s and 1990s discovered they didn’t price the coverage accurately. Far fewer people dropped their policies than expected, while the costs of long-term care increased more than anticipated. Many insurers stopped offering the coverage, and massive premium increases were the norm for a while.

Insurers can’t raise premiums “at will,” by the way. The increases must be approved by regulators, who weigh the effects on customers against the possibility an insurer might go under and be unable to pay anyone.

The companies still selling long-term care coverage now offer less generous policies that probably won’t require huge premium increases. Still, many financial planners advise their clients who are buying coverage now to expect their premiums to increase 50% to 100% over their lifetimes.

It’s important to keep in mind that insurance is not like an investment or a savings account. You don’t buy homeowners insurance hoping your house will burn down someday so that you can get your money back. You buy it to protect your finances against catastrophic loss. So it’s not as if you received nothing in return for your long-term care premiums: You were protected against a potentially catastrophic cost that — fortunately — didn’t happen.

That doesn’t mean you were wrong to expect your premiums to remain affordable. Given your current reality, though, you’ll need to decide if you want to risk dropping coverage entirely or if reducing coverage might be an option. Many people in your situation have opted for longer waiting periods, lower inflation adjustments or a reduced benefit period to keep premiums affordable.

Filed Under: Health Insurance, Q&A Tagged With: long-term care insurance, q&a

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

September 27, 2016 By Liz Weston

Image9Today’s top story: Insider tips for finding affordable long-term care insurance. Also in the news: The most affordable time of year to buy a house, states that help consumers save money on insurance, and an app that compares the prices of every ride sharing option.

5 Insider Tips for Finding Affordable Long-Term Care Insurance
Buy sooner rather than later.

The Most Affordable Time of Year to Buy a Home
Holding out until winter.

5 States That Help Consumers Get Answers, Save Money on Insurance
Do you live in one of them?

RideGuru Compares the Cost of Every Ride Sharing Option
Don’t get taken for a ride.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: apps, Insurance, long-term care insurance, real estate, ride sharing

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

August 9, 2016 By Liz Weston

help-parents-manage-moneyToday’s top story: Long-term care and wealth planning for aging parents. Also in the news: How Donald Trump’s new economic plan could affect you, student discounts on everything needed for college, and the cost of volunteering for a political campaign.

Long-Term Care and Wealth Planning for Aging Parents
Protecting their assets.

How Donald Trump’s New Economic Plan Could Help You (or Not)
What’s in it for you.

Use These Student Discounts to Save on Everything You Need for College
From books to clothes to computers.

The Costs of Volunteering for a Political Campaign
All that free labor can be pricey.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: college discounts, Donald Trump, elderly parents and money, election, long term care, long-term care insurance, volunteering

Monday’s need-to-know money news

July 25, 2016 By Liz Weston

401k-planToday’s top story: Why long-term care insurance is worth the expense. Also in the news: The differences between a 401(k) and a Roth 401(k), how to make yourself a better retirement saver, and keeping an eye out for electricity surge pricing.

Long-Term Care Insurance Is Worth the Expense
Paying now can save a lot later.

You Know About the 401(k) — But What About the Roth 401(k)?
Know the differences.

5 Ways to Make Yourself a Better Retirement Saver
Taking the long view.

Beware of Surge Pricing on Your Electric Bill
Running your air conditioner just got a bit pricier.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: 401(k), electric bill, electricity, long-term care insurance, Retirement, retirement savings, Roth 401(k), surge pricing, tips

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