Statistics

Long Term Care
Insurance Decisions

LONG TERM CARE STATISTICS

* Currently, one in three people age 65 years or over will enter a nursing home for an average of 2 to 3 years.

* The average cost for a one-year nursing home stay is $46,000. The cost is expected to double by 2010.

* An estimated 70% of single people and 50% of couples with one partner requiring long term care become impoverished within one year.

* Medicare, your government-sponsored health insurance for persons 65 years or over, presently pays for a small percentage of your nursing home or home health costs, but never for longer than 100 days.

* To qualify for Medicaid, a joint federal, state and local welfare program, you must deplete most of your assets.

"Whatever your age, it is unlikely that you will ever pay more in total premiums for long term care insurance over your lifetime than you would pay for a one year stay in a nursing home."
- Currency Magazine, April 1998