First, some items to ponder about age demographics in the United States from an article[1] by Thomas Day, Director of the National Care Planning Council:

As if the current lack of planning for long-term care were not a great enough burden on the immediate or extended family, the failure to plan, for the current generation of baby boomers, could be even more devastating on spouse or family in the future. Here is a list of factors that will make long-term care in the future an even more pressing burden than it is today.

1. We are living longer. The population segment of the “very old”, older than age 85, is the fastest-growing age group in the country. The older the person, the more likely the need for long-term care and the more likely a need for care which lasts not just months but years. Over 50% of the age group over 85 is receiving long-term care.
2. The older the person the more likely the risk of onset of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates about 46% of people over the age of 85 have dementia or Alzheimer’s
3. The number of overweight and obese people in the United States is increasing dramatically. Obesity is a major contributor to disability and poor health in the elderly. Estimates are that the effects of obesity will increase nursing home enrollments by an additional 15% to 20% by the year 2020.
4. The ranks of the elderly are growing larger. The population of elderly over 65 will double from about 37 million people today to about 77 million people in 2035, 30 years from now. Based on current estimates of the rate of long term care this means that in 30 years about 17 million elderly Americans will be receiving long term care.
5. It is estimated that 6 out of 10 people will need long term care sometime during their lifetime.
6. With a large and growing number of single person households there is no spouse and oftentimes no children to provide care. About 40% of the population is single.
7. The birthrate is going down, families are getting smaller. The combination of fewer children, the increasing number of single person households and a growing number of elderly will eventually create a situation where there are more people needing care than there are available family caregivers.
8. Out of approximately 116 million women in this country who could be employed in the workforce about 60% or 69 million are employed.  With women being the traditional caregivers, this means only about 40% of traditional caregivers are at home and able to provide long term care for loved ones without having to juggle a work schedule as well.
9. Children are moving far away or the elderly are relocating after retirement and this makes it difficult or impossible to provide the resulting long-distance caregiving.
10. The number of elderly as a percent of the population is growing larger putting a burden on the tax base and availability of money for government programs and the availability of younger caregivers. Over the next 50 years the elderly will grow from about 12% of the population to over 20% of the population.
11. Medical science is preventing early sudden deaths which often results in a prolonged life with impaired health and a higher potential need for long-term care.
12. Government programs are already stretched thin for long-term care services and will experience even greater stress on available funds in the future.
13. The government does not seem inclined to provide a national long-term care insurance plan
14. There is a worldwide trend, in all major industrial countries, to not deal with the problem of long-term care and very few countries, including the United States , have taken the initiative to adequately address the problem.
15. Most healthy people in their 50s and early 60s prefer to ignore this future problem and their lack of planning will further burden public programs in the future.

(source for statistics: statistical abstract of the United States, 2005) (Emphasis supplied)

Houston, we have a problem–at least most of us do, or will soon. And unfortunately, time is (probably) not on our side. The problem? Long-term care. Such care runs the gamut. Home care, whether by spouse, children, friends, in-home nursing, and the like. Assisted-living facilities. Nursing home care. Combinations of these. Whatever the method, there’s a substantial cost involved, whether it’s an expenditure of time and money caring for a spouse at home—and the possible loss of income that involves—or full on 24/7 nursing home care, which can run as high as $10,000 per month or higher.

There are essentially four ways to pay for long-term care—if it’s needed:

1. Private or self-pay,
2. Long-term care insurance,
3. Medicaid, and
4. Veteran’s Benefits.

The drawbacks to private or self-pay are obvious: few people have the money to pay $4,000 – $10,000 per month for LTC without depleting retirement funds beyond repair. If family members can pitch in—and they often do—the burden may be bearable.

Long-term care insurance—whether it’s tradition LTCI or life insurance with an LTC rider—can reduce or even eliminate the burden, and if it’s purchased early, the monthly cost can be more manageable than private pay, and better yet, the cost generally comes during the insured’s working years. That said, LTCI can be hard to come by. Many insurers have left the playing field. Nevertheless, if the client is young enough and still healthy, it’s an option worth looking at.

Medicaid can step in the often huge gap between needs and resources, but as I’ve pointed out above, that help comes with some very strong strings attached.

Veteran’s Benefits are for veterans of course and come in two varieties: Service-related benefits and VA Improved Pension. The first is for veterans with service related disabilities, the second is for eligible wartime veterans and is capped. Veterans who qualify should plan on eventually applying for Medicaid.

I Can Help

If you would like to explore these or other ideas further, schedule a virtual meeting with me by clicking on the red button in the lower right-hand corner of this webpage for a free consultation.

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[1] https://www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare/why_long_term_care_planning.htm accessed March, 21, 2019.