Benefit Choices of Comprehensive Long Term Care Insurance
4. Elimination Period (Deductible)
Most policies give you a choice of a waiting period of between 0 and 100 days
after care starts before the company starts paying benefits. The longer the
elimination or deductible period, the lower your premium. "Elimination days" may
be consecutive calendar days from the time you first received care or only those
days on which you received a service covered by the policy. A calendar day
deductible period is the best choice. Most policies have a once-in-a- lifetime
requirement, while there are a few that start anew with each "episode of care."
A cost effective balance is to choose a policy with a 90 day deductible period for
facility care and a 0-day deductible period for home care. If you are able to
receive your care at home, the policy would begin to pay the benefits for home
care on day one. Some carriers even allow the days paid for home care to count
as part of the 90 day deductible for facilities.
"All we do is Long Term Care Insurance..."