At Expert Home Care in New Jersey, our senior clients tell us they object to long term care planning because they believe Medicare or the Veterans Benefits Administration will take care of them. While this is true to a certain extent, these people simply don’t understand the limitations of these government programs.
Here are frequent quotes taken from individuals in NJ who have voiced misconceptions about long term care planning.
“Uncle Jimmy got along just fine with the government paying his care”
“I can give away my assets and have the government pay for it”
“We have a trust and all of our assets will go to our family so the government will pay for our care”
“I’m not interested in home care or assisted living, just stick me in a nursing home and Medicaid will pay the bill”
“Long term care insurance is too expensive”
Government could be more involved in providing care but our constipated system of delivery prevents this from happening. The National Aging Network, a government-sponsored program, is in the best position to help people receive long term care in their homes. And studies have shown that the cost of providing this kind of care is significantly less than the cost of providing nursing home care through government programs.
Unfortunately, for every dollar that supports a person through the Aging Network the government spends about $270 supporting a person in a nursing home. Because it has inadequate funding, the National Aging Network must confine its valuable services to people who have little income or for social reasons are disadvantaged. Moderate and middle income Americans can receive some services from the network but are mostly excluded from the more valuable caregiving services.
We believe the public’s misunderstanding of Government long term care programs is an impediment to proper long term care planning. When people understand the limitations of relying on government programs they are most likely to be more motivated to plan for the future by making provisions in advance and providing advance funding to pay for care. Prior planning also allows people to have a choice in their care setting and in the type of services they receive.
- NJ Home Health Care Client Bill of Rights - March 12, 2019
- Senior Home Care Preparation For New Jersey Families - December 17, 2018
- Elder Abuse More Common Than Thought - December 10, 2018
