Planning for Long-Term Care Should Be Part of Every Estate Plan
By Barry Zimmer on November 29th, 2022 in Asset Protection, Estate Planninng, Long-Term Care, Medicaid
Planning for your retirement years should start years before you reach retirement age. When you are contemplating your retirement years, it is important to take into consideration the very real possibility that you, or a spouse, will need long-term care. To help you get started, a Loveland Medicaid planning attorney at Zimmer Law Firm explains how to start planning for long-term care.
Make a Realistic Evaluation of Your Health
Although most people cannot predict the need for long-term care (LTC), evaluating the state of your health now may be helpful when creating an LTC plan. This is particularly true if you have any chronic conditions and/or a family history of serious health conditions. For example, if you already have diabetes or high blood pressure, or there is a strong family history of heart disease, it is logical to predict that you have a higher likelihood of needing LTC down the road. Those same health conditions could cause your insurance premiums to increase dramatically as you age.
Research Long-Term Care Options
While around-the-clock care in a nursing home is certainly one type of LTC, it is not the only type. Other options may include assisted living, community care, home health aides, and even family caregivers. Planning for LTC requires you to have some idea of what that care will cost. Nationwide, the average cost of a year in LTC for 2022 was over $100,000. In Ohio, the average cost of a year in LTC ran just under the national average while assisted living and a home health aide ran approximately $55,000 and $60,000 respectively.
Review Insurance Options
As a senior, you will likely depend on Medicare to cover most of your healthcare costs. What you may not know is that Medicare will not cover your LTC expenses. Neither will most private health insurance policies. A separate LTC policy is an option; however, the premiums may be high, and the coverage may be less than you anticipated.
Discuss Options with Family
Understandably, most seniors would prefer to age in place and not have to be moved to an LTC facility. Likewise, when you are older you would probably prefer a family member to care for you instead of a nurse. Before you assume that your family members are willing to help though, sit down and have a very honest discussion. If you have four children close by and each has room for you, the need to move to an LTC facility may be unlikely in your case. On the other hand, if three of those four children are scattered around the globe, and the fourth doesn’t appear to be willing/able to provide care, you may wish to focus more on planning for LTC.
Incorporate Medicaid Planning into Your Estate Plan
The good news when it comes to long-term care planning is that Medicaid does cover LTC expenses. The bad news is that failing to plan could put your assets at risk and/or result in your application for Medicaid being denied. Medicaid uses both income and asset limits when evaluating an application. If you own non-exempt assets valued above the limit, you may be forced to sell those assets (“spend-down”) and use the proceeds to pay your LTC costs. Only when those proceeds are gone will you qualify for Medicaid. By incorporating Medicaid planning into your comprehensive estate plan now you can protect your hard-earned assets and set yourself up to be eligible for Medicaid if you need the benefits offered by the program in the future.
Contact a Loveland Estate Planning Attorney
For more information, please join us for an upcoming FREE webinar. If you have additional questions or concerns about how to plan for the possibility that you will need long-term care, contact an experienced Loveland Medicaid planning attorney at Zimmer Law Firm by calling 513-721-1513 to schedule your appointment today.