“We receive hundreds of inquiries each month from individuals confused about when to apply for this protection,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the Association.  “They hear wait until after retirement or start when you are 40.  It’s no wonder that people are confused and miss a most important fact about when to start the process.”

The Association created two new videos to help address important questions often raised by callers and those visiting the Association’s website.  “We just don’t have enough time to spend with each person answering their questions, so we attempt to address them all with short educational videos that are accessed via the Association’s website,” Slome notes.  According to Association data, the organization’s website gets as many as 45,000 visitors monthly seeking information.
The first of the two just-added videos focuses on the best age to apply for coverage with statistics from the organization’s 2012 Long Term care Insurance Sourcebook.

A second consumer video focuses on tips and techniques consumers can utilize to obtain the best long term care insurance coverage for the most affordable premium.  “You only buy this protection once so you had better do it correctly,” Slome adds.  “Our mission is focused on bringing real, current and relevant information to consumers.  An educated consumer is a long term care insurance professional’s best prospect.”

The two videos can be viewed online.  The following are the links to the programs.

Best Age To Buy Long Term Care Insurance

Get The Best Cost For Insurance For Long Term Care

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“Rates for home health care have remained relatively stable over the past few years,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the organization that represents several thousand long term care insurance professionals.  “However, costs can vary significantly from one market to another and even among service providers within a particular locale.”

Home care service costs compiled by the Association have been published in the 2012 Long Term Care Insurance Sourcebook dramatize the spread.  Boston had the highest hourly rate reported for a home health aide ($39) while Dallas / Fort Worth reported the lowest ($12).

According to the Association, half (50.0%) of all new long-term care insurance claims opened during 2011 began with the policyholder receiving care at home.  Less than one-third of new claims began with the recipient receiving care in a nursing home the Association reports.

“Long-term care insurance has really become nursing home avoidance protection,” Slome explains.  “Today, people purchase this important protection in order to receive care in their own home for as long as possible.  When costs remain stable, people are able to purchase more affordable levels of insurance coverage that will pay for longer periods of time.”

The following is a sampling of home health aide hourly rates from the Association’s 2012-2013 Long Term Care Insurance Sourcebook provided free of charge to the organization’s members.

Average           Low           High

Atlanta, GA          $21                  $16            $24
Boston, MA         $27                  $21            $39
Chicago, IL            $23                  $16            $30

Los Angeles, CA   $21                  $14            $28

New York, NY       $20                   $16       $23
Seattle, WA            $24                  $20      $28

The post Home Health Care Costs Remain Level Reports Association appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.