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• What is long term care and who needs it?
• Where are long term care services received and who provides long term care?
• Common long term care myths
• How much does long term care cost?
• Will health insurance or disability insurance cover long term care costs?
• Will Medicare cover long term care costs?
• How can I pay for long term care?
• Can I pay my long term care costs and insurance premiums through a Health Savings Account (HSA)?
   

Long Term Care Basics

What is Long Term Care and Who Needs It?

Long term care is care that you need if you can no longer perform everyday tasks (activities of daily living) by yourself due to a chronic illness, injury, disability or the aging process. Long term care also includes the supervision you might need due to a severe cognitive impairment (such as Alzheimer’s disease).

This type of care isn’t intended to cure you. It is chronic care that you might need for the rest of your life. You can receive long term care in your own home, a nursing home or another long term care facility, such as an assisted living facility.

People often confuse long term care with disability or short-term medical care. Long term care is not:

• care that you receive in the hospital or your doctor's office
• care you need to get well from a sickness or an injury
• short-term rehabilitation from an accident
• recuperation from surgery
   

Who Needs Long Term Care?

Anyone can need long term care at any time in their life. Currently, 40% of people receiving long term care services are working age adults, between the ages of 18 and 64.² Automobile and sporting accidents; disabling events such as strokes, brain tumors, and spinal cord injuries; and disabling illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease are examples of injuries and ailments that can happen to anyone at any age.

As people age and our average life span increases, the chances of needing long term care increase. After age 65, an American has more than a 70% chance of needing some form of long term care.¹ In general, the longer you live, the higher your odds of needing long term care.

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