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Health & Fitness

The Long-Term Care Insurance Solution

Long-term care insurance purchased today can help provide you with the financial security you need and deserve in your retirement years.

Jeffrey Schweitzer's profile picture
Jeffrey Schweitzer, Neighbor
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Long-term care insurance purchased today can help provide you with the financial security you need and deserve in your retirement years.  By acting today, you will have protection to help pay for whatever long-term care needs a long life brings!  

Long-term care refers to help with daily activities needed by people with disabilities or chronic, longer-lasting illnesses, such as help with eating, bathing and dressing.  Long-term care also includes assistance for those suffering from cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.  Other types of insurance, such as health insurance and disability insurance, do not typically pay for these services.  Long-term care can be provided in a variety of settings, such as your home, an assisted living community or in a nursing home.  

A typical long-term care insurance policy helps cover the cost of long-term care services, including:  

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  • Assistance in your home with daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, meals and housekeeping services. 
  • Visiting nurses and/or home health aides who come to your home.
  • Services available in your community, such as adult day care.
  • The cost of an assisted living community.
  • Nursing home care.
While the good news is that people are living longer, the bad news is that increased life expectancy also increases the odds of needing long-term care services, which can be expensive.  Without long-term care insurance to help meet the cost of needed long-term care services, you run the risk of depleting a lifetime of savings.  With long-term care insurance, you’re in a better financial position to make the choice of what long-term care services you receive and where you receive them. PLUS, qualified long-term care insurance receives favorable income tax treatment...the benefits from qualified long-term care insurance, for the most part, are not taxable income to the recipient, up to a per diem limit ($300 for 2011).

Eligible premiums paid for qualified long-term care insurance can be applied toward meeting the 7.5% “floor” for medical expense deductions on your federal income tax return.  The amount of eligible long-term care premium that can be applied to the 7.5% floor depends on your age:

 

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If you are this age by the end of the year:

This is the maximum eligible long-term premium for tax deduction purposes in 2011*:

 

 

40 or less

$   340

 

 

41 - 50

$   640

 

 

51 - 60

$1,270

 

 

61 - 70

$3,390

 

 

More than 70

$4,240

 

 

* The maximum eligible long-term care premium is adjusted each year for inflation.

 

Please contact my office if you’re interested in discussing long-term care insurance.

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