More Long Term Care Choices Forced by Uncle Sam..

Woah, Nellie! As millions of folks recover from the challenging choices among prescription drug plans, Uncle Sam is now forcing another health care decision. And this one’s a whopper, says Clayborne Cotton of the online LTCi Buyer’s Advocate Alliance.

But your decision involves much greater risk than just a bad choice among Medicare drug plans. Sure, drugs may cost thousands per year, but long term care services cost $60K to $70K per year. According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute, the national average cost for care in a nursing home is $74,000 per year for a private room, and in-home care can cost even more!

“Looking at the numbers,” says Cotton, “a bad pick for long term care has 10 to 30 times the impact as a bad pick among drug plans.” Clearly, Uncle Sam agrees, as it quietly broadens its Long-Term Care Consumer Awareness Campaign. The campaign uses radio, TV, and direct-mail to educate Americans on the need to plan for their own care, and “The underlying message is, don’t count on Medicaid or Medicare to pick up the tab,” says Cotton.

For choosing a long term care insurance policy there is no deadline, as there was with prescription drugs. Instead, the government is pursuing a course of gradual persuasion. While raising awareness, the campaign offers helpful items like checklists for deciding among alternative policies. Plus, we are offered tax incentives in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2006.

“Deadline? The is no specific time by which you must pick your LTC policy, but the downside of delay is great, and your biological clock is ticking. It’s time for you to get it together and obtain your comparison rate quotes,” says Cotton, “Maybe you’re ready, but how do you choose among confusing alternatives, so that you don’t end up with a poor-performing company or overpriced coverage.”

To help folks pick a prescription drug plan, Medicare provided an online decision system, but there is no such help from Washington for choosing an LTC insurance plan.

The online LTCi Buyer’s Advocate Alliance fills that gap with a private, online system that matches individual needs against many policies from multiple, highly-rated carriers, and factors in relevant state and federal legislation. The Buyer’s Advocate Alliance also features non-intrusive, personal, live assistance from local experts.

CLICK HERE NOW to request your free, rate-comparison quote, and “You’ll be glad you did,” says Cotton.

Technorati Tags: risk, Medicare, long term care, nursing home, Uncle Sam, Medicaid, long term care insurance