LONG-TERM CARE
Anticipating financial needs after retirement and what the future holds can be difficult and stressful.
- Will I need help to live independently in my home?
- Will specialized care at a senior care facility be needed?
Long-term care insurance helps pay for these kinds of unforeseen events. However, long-term care insurance can be costly and may not cover everything. Do your research and know your options.
If you are considering purchasing long-term care insurance, we recommend you weigh the benefits and the risks—and then talk it over with a trusted financial advisor or a licensed insurance professional before you buy.
OTHER RESOURCES
- The Montana State Health Insurance Assistance Program—or SHIP—offers free assistance and expertise to all Montanans.
- Montana's Senior Long-Term Care Program has information on their website about services Medicaid may cover, as well as housing assistance in Montana.
Medicaid will pay for long-term care, but only if a person has few assets. Some elderly Montanans may need to “use up” their assets in order to qualify. There is a separate kind of insurance available in Montana that can protect you from the need to spend down your assets in order to qualify for Medicaid long-term care assistance. This is called a “long-term care partnership plan.” More information about this type of insurance is available on the MSU Fact Sheet.
Long-term care partnership policies are not available from every insurance company. Below is a list of companies that sell partnership policies in Montana.
COMPANIES WITH PARTNERSHIP POLICIES
- American General Life Insurance Company
- Assurity Life Insurance Company
- Bankers Life and Casualty Company
- Berkshire Life Insurance Co. of America
- Genworth Life Insurance Company
- John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA)
- LifeSecure Insurance Company
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
- MedAmerica Insurance Company
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
- Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company
- National Guardian Life
- New York Life Insurance Company
- Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company
- Prudential Insurance Company of America
- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
- Transamerica Life Insurance Company
- United of Omaha
Penn Treaty Network America Insurance Company and American Network Insurance Company are affiliated long-term care insurance companies that went into liquidation on March 1, 2017. Information about the companies’ liquidation can be found on Penn Treaty’s website.
The life and health insurance guaranty associations in the states where Penn Treaty and American Network were licensed to do business have assumed responsibility for their policies. This includes continuing coverage and paying eligible claims, subject to guaranty association coverage limits and the terms and conditions of coverage. The guaranty associations have contracted for Penn Treaty to continue to administer all policies using Penn Treaty’s staff, existing computer systems, and policy/claim records.
Policyholders with questions about policies, claims, or related to Penn Treaty’s liquidation should call 1-800-362-0700.
Who Needs Long-Term Care?
It is difficult to predict how much or what type of long-term care a person might need. Several things increase the risk of needing long-term care:
- Age. The risk generally increases as people get older.
- Gender. Women are at higher risk than men, primarily because they often live longer.
- Marital status. Single people are more likely than married people to need care from a paid provider.
- Lifestyle. Poor diet and exercise habits can increase a person’s risk.
- Health and family history. These factors also affect risk.