• The Facts.

    84% of Americans have had at least some experience with nursing homes -- either as a patient or a visitor, and 46% say a family member or close friend has been in a nursing home in the past three years.  (Senior Journal, July 2005.)

    Medicare generally doesn't pay for long term care.  (www.medicare.gov , 2005.)

    48% of today's workers are not confident in their ability to pay for long term care in retirement.  (Retirement Confidence Survey, Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2004.)

    By 2030, 20% of all Americans, or about 70 million people, will have passed their 65th birthday.  The average 75-year-old has three chronic conditions and uses five prescription drugs.  (Executive Summary, The State of Aging and Health in America, Centers for Disease Control, 2004.)

  • The Risks.

    You have a one-in-96 chance of your house being damaged by fire.
    Surely your home is covered.

    You have a one-in-five chance of your car being damaged in an accident.
    You wouldn't drive without auto insurance.

    But you have a 50% chance that you will need long term care at some point in your life.
    So why wouldn't you insure your independence?

    (2004 Field Guide, National Underwriter, 2004.)

    The Costs.

    Two-thirds of single people and one-third of married couples exhaust their funds after just 13 weeks in a nursing home.  Within two years, 90% will be bankrupt.  (2004 Field Guide, National Underwriter, 2004.)

    The average cost per year of nursing home care is $57,700.  (Kiplinger's Retirement Report, March 2004.)

    The median cost of care in an assisted living facility is $30,000 per year.  (Adult Day Care Services, AARP, February 2004.)

    By 2030, the average nursing home stay will cost approximately half a million dollars ($468,960).  (Kiplinger's Retirement Report, March 2004.) 

  • Wendy Boglioli on Long Term Care Insurance