Long-term care policies vary, but the pattern of confusion does not. Three things trip families up almost every time.
The elimination period is the number of days of care you pay for before the policy starts. Crucially, on many policies those days must be days on which care was actually delivered — so starting at two visits a week makes the wait months longer than starting at five.
The daily benefit is usually a maximum, not a fixed payment, and unused benefit on some policies rolls forward into a pool. And most policies require a licensed agency rather than a privately hired caregiver.
Bring the policy to the first home visit. Our office will read it with you before you commit to anything.
