Regular health insurance plays a critical in long term care for the elderly or the disabled. Most people believe that long term care insurance replaces standard health insurance, which is a serious misconception. Standard health insurance is utilized in the care plan in conjunction with long term care insurance. Both entities play very different but essential roles in providing comprehensive care for the insured.
For example, a patient may be recovering from a consequential accident and receiving care in the privacy and convenience of his or her home rather than the impersonal, sterile environment of a nursing home. If, during this time, the patient suffers an attack of angina, or if a blood clot develops, long term care insurance will not indemnify the cost of hospitalization, emergency care, surgical intervention or nursing care in an acute hospital. The long term care attendant stabilizes the patient and summons emergency medical personnel. The patient will be transported to an acute care facility, and the necessary procedures will be initiated. However, these financial encumbrances including transportation in an ambulance to an acute hospital are indemnified by the standard health insurance policy.
Many insured persons do not understand the provisions of the long term care insurance policy. It will pay for the services of a registered nurse to design and implement, on a physician's orders, a comprehensive care plan and cover regular home visits to ensure that the patient is progressing as anticipated. If the patient is not improving or the patient's condition is not consistent with the physician's expectations, the physician is informed, and a revision of the care plan is instituted. Long term care insurance will typically pay for the services and interventions by physical, occupational, and speech therapists; the services of a certified nurse's assistant or home health care aide to provide patient hygienic care; and homemaker technician services to perform home maintenance duties such as cleaning. Nutritional support, such as the provision of meals three times daily or on a scheduled basis is usually provided. Furthermore, long term care insurance will pay for durable equipment rentals such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, portable commodes, shower stalls, and other mobility aides.
Long term care insurance will not, however, take the place of standard health insurance by indemnifying the insured for acute care received in a hospital setting, emergency room or clinic. These services require a standard health insurance policy in addition to a long term care insurance policy to provide care in the home for a disabling accident, serious injury or illness. Actually, standard health insurance should be initially purchased as a secondary choice because it picks up where long term care insurance stops.
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