The younger you are when you first buy a long term care insurance policy, the cheaper the premiums. A 50-year-old pays about $450-$585 in annual premiums; for a 60-year-old it runs $650-$1,070 each year; and for a 70-year-old its about $1,464-$2,191, according to the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension[1] . The premium doesn't automatically go up as you get older, but it can increase over the years, sometimes quite sharply.
A type of disability insurance, long-term care insurance covers the cost of daily care for someone (of any age) with an acute or long-term illness or disability. ConsumerReports.org gives an overview, pointing out that while it can be cheaper to buy this insurance at age 40, the average age of a person admitted to a nursing home is 83. That could mean 40 years of paying premiums before benefiting from the policy.
Discounts:
The Insurance Information Institute[2] offers tips for cutting premiums costs.
Shopping for long term care insurance:
The Consumer Law Page has a detailed guide for avoiding fraud when buying long term care insurance.
ConsumerReports.org charts the circumstances making this type of insurance a good idea and when it might be better to skip it.
Get a list of registered insurance companies from your state insurance commissioner. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners provides links to these state offices[4] and a way to search for financial details and complaint histories for specific companies.
7 Lesser-Known Discounts for the 50+ Crowd As they age, members of the Baby Boomer generation don't like to admit that they're senior citizens, but they love getting discounts. It's kind of a quandary, because some of the best deals available are reduced prices for older folks. || Posted October 21 2013
7 Ways to Stretch Your Reduced Food Budget End of the year budgets are tight for everyone, especially in this economy.It's especially hard for the millions of Americans who depend on government programs like food stamps to help make ends meet. || Posted November 11 2013
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