Long-Term Care Checklist

The Health Insurance Association of America has developed a checklist of questions to review when you are considering long term care insurance:

1. What services are covered?
   • nursing home care
   • home health care
   • assisted living facility
   • adult daycare
   • alternate care
   • respite care
2. How much does the policy pay per day for each type of service provided?
3. How long will benefits last for each type of service?
4. Does the policy have a maximum lifetime benefit?
5. What is the maximum benefit for each type of service?
6. Does the policy have a maximum length of coverage for each period of confinement?
7. What is the maximum length of confinement allowed for each type of service?
8. How long must one wait before pre-existing conditions are covered?
9. How many days must one wait before benefits begin for each type of service care?
10. Are Alzheimer’s disease and other organic mental and nervous disorders covered?
11. Does the policy require
    • an assessment of activities of daily living?
    • an assessment of cognitive impairment?
    • physician certification of need?
    • prior hospital stay for nursing home care and/or home health care?
    • prior nursing home stay for home health care coverage?
12. Is the policy guaranteed renewable?
13. What is the age range for enrollment?
14. Is there a waiver-of-premium provision for nursing home care or for home health care?
15. How long must one be confined before premiums are waived?
16. Does the policy have a non-forfeiture benefit?
17. Does the policy offer an inflation adjustment feature?
    • Is there an additional cost for this feature?
    • What is the inflation rate increase? How often is the inflation rate increased?
    • How long is the inflation rate increased?
18. What does the policy cost:
    • per year, with and without inflation features?
    • per month, with and without inflation features?