Do You Need Florida Long-Term Care Insurance?

Amidst all of the expenses of daily life such as bills, mortgage payments and even saving for retirement or college, Florida long-term care insurance may seem less-than-necessary—especially if you’re still young. However, purchasing this insurance now ensures that you will receive the best care possible in a long-term care facility.

What Constitutes “Long-Term Care”?

Long-term care is that which is provided to you either in a nursing or rehabilitation facility, or, in some cases, even in your own home. This care is deemed necessary when you are no longer able to perform the basic functions of daily living such as bathing, taking medications, ambulating to the restroom, cooking meals and more. While many people associate long-term care with age and frailty, plenty of young people find themselves in need of this care after serious accidents or illnesses, as well. This is why Florida long-term care insurance should always be a part of your health insurance package, regardless of your age or current health condition.

What Your Insurance Plan Covers

Most medical insurance plans cover hospital stays, doctors’ visits, surgeries and other things of that nature. However, whether or not your personal plan covers long-term care is something you’ll need to speak with your insurance agent about. Unfortunately, most insurance plans do not cover stays in rehabilitation or nursing facilities, and while some of them may pay for a nurse or nurse aid to come to your home for things such as dressing changes and medical needs after an illness or injury, they won’t cover an individual—or non-professional—coming into your home to help you take care of your basic needs. Florida long-term care insurance is necessary for covering these costs.

Long-Term Care is Not Always Long-Term

When most people think of long-term care, their imaginations are filled with visions of elderly individuals or those who have serious injuries that have rendered them residents of nursing homes for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, in a medical sense, long-term care isn’t always life-long. For instance, if you break your leg in an accident, you may not be able to get around and do the things you once could, and you may not be able to properly care for yourself during the healing process. While it may only take three months or so for you to ‘get back on your feet’, so to speak, the care you receive in a facility or at home is considered long-term care.

Choosing a Plan

If you’re interested in finding out whether or not your insurance covers long-term care, or if you want to purchase Florida long-term care insurance, you should first speak with the provider who supplies your health insurance. Oftentimes, you can get long-term care insurance added to your plan for just a few additional dollars above and beyond the cost of your premiums. If your provider doesn’t offer this type of insurance, there are plenty of companies across the nation which specialize in this insurance.  

If you’re lacking Florida long-term care insurance, don’t put it off. You may think that being young and healthy will keep you out of the nursing and rehabilitation home, but you never really know what’s around the corner. If something should happen, you’ll be glad you made the decision to purchase this coverage.