‘Tis the Season for Long Term Care Insurance Claims

It’s a busy time of year. Squirrels are squirreling away the last acorns in their winter stash. Birds are hurriedly winging it to their winter climes. Bakeries are taking orders for goodies. Grandparents are shopping and double-checking they’ve got every grandchild taken into account. And as for Santa, well, it goes without saying he’s pretty flat-out these days.

However, grandparents, bakers, birds, squirrels, and even Santa himself, have nothing on their plate compared to a claims professional at a long term care insurance company.

It makes sense, if you take a moment to think about it. And thinking about it is something I do often. Claim time—when a policyholder has a need for long term care—well, that’s the reason that anyone ever buys a long term care insurance policy.

Let’s not forget this. Or the fact that, in most cases, claim time happens at age 80+, after years of paying premiums.

Why would claims correlate to a specific season? Is it the slips and falls on icy surfaces? That’s not what we hear. What claims professionals talk about—and the volume of claims submissions supports—is this:

When families gather during the late fall and winter holidays, they often realize for the first time how much help an elder family member needs. Perhaps two years ago, Mom was OK using a cane. This year, she needs a walker, and—even with the walker—she isn’t as sure-footed as in the past. Just managing to put on a coat is a challenge. Same for shoes. You get the picture.

None of this is easy…for anyone. Observing all this almost inevitably leads one to ruminating on the fact that, “I, too, will grow old, and …”. And this realization—that we all will likely experience at least some time of frailty and dependence in our lives—isn’t a prospect most people relish.

Then too, there are all those uncomfortable questions provoked by aging and the prospect of long term care. They can start with something like, “Is Dad too old to be driving—and what can I/should I do about it?” Or, “Where should he live, and what constitutes an acceptable quality of life…according to whom? When does safety enter the decision-making process?” Add in uncertainty about the type of care that may be needed, for how long, and it’s easy to see how things can get very messy very quickly.

Consider, however, those family members who’ve been able to plan ahead by purchasing long term care insurance: when their family gathers together this year, it may soon become obvious that it’s now claim time.  

That’s when long term care insurance shines. And that’s why—like Santa’s elves in December—claims personnel will be very busy this season.

If you have any questions about your long term care insurance or planning please do be in touch. Baygroup Insurance can be contacted at http://www.baygroupinsurance.com/forms/contact-us or call us at 410-557-7907 for more information.