Short-Term Home Health Care

Short-term care insurance products are designed to help protect you from the high and increasing costs of needing short-term care at home or in a nursing home. They generally are purchased to cover gaps in Medicare. Short-term care products typically provide up to 360 days of benefits, are simplified issue (no underwriting) and have a variety of benefit options that can be tailored to your specific needs.

To qualify for most short-term care benefits, your health care practitioner must certify you as having the inability to perform at least 2 of 6 activities of daily living or as having a cognitive impairment. Once benefits have started, the short-term care policy can help pay for stays in an assisted living facility or skilled nursing home, help offset costs associated with adult day care/hospice care and even help pay for care in your own home.  The policy could also help pay for expenses related to home health care aides, general skilled nursing care and prescription drugs.

Due to medical advancements, more procedures are being performed on an outpatient basis. Hospital stays are shorter and recovery times may be quicker, but most people still need additional care during recovery.  Whether that care takes place in a nursing home or at home, people often rely on Medicare to cover those additional expenses. Unfortunately, Medicare coverage is limited and specific requirements must be met first.  Short-term care insurance policies can help protect you from out-of-pocket medical expenses.