Hello, I'm new to the forum, and I've been reading all the useful information in the archives.

About us: We just learned that HD is in my husband's family. His father hasn't presented symptoms and does not want to be tested (his mother had HD). My husband does want to test, but we are lining up insurance ahead of time just in case. My husband is 41, the sole earner in our house, and we have 4 small children. I'm looking into life, disability, and long term care (LTC). Life and disability are pretty straightforward, but LTC is so confusing.

Questions:
1. You need to have 3 out of 6 of the qualifying factors for LTC to kick in, or you need to have a cognitive impairment such as Alzheimers. I'm assuming HD counts as a cognitive impairment, correct? If not, how does one with HD qualify for LTC insurance?

2. If HD counts as a cognitive impairment, when do you begin to qualify for LTC insurance (i.e. when does the elimination period begin)? Does it start the day of diagnosis? When you start showing symptoms? When you can no longer care for yourself? Who determines this? A doctor? The insurance company? I don't understand this part with respect to HD, and I obviously don't want to ask the insurance broker.

3. Realistically, how long does someone with HD need long term care? I plan to have enough disability insurance in place that income won't be a huge factor, but even our current income can't support extended nursing home care. Our broker suggests a plan with $290 per day (the average cost of nursing home in our area) with 5% compounded interest for a 5 year period. But, he explained that if, in the beginning, we only need homecare for, let's say, $90 per day, that extra $200 per day gets saved and can be used after the 5 year period. So, realistically, I'm trying to figure out for how long I can expect to need some limited help in the home (with me as the primary caregiver and not drawing on LTC insurance except for maybe a home health aid for a few hours a day) and how long it might be necessary to do something more expensive like a nursing home. I've read that people with HD generally live 10-15 years after symptoms present. But is there any way to determine how quickly symptoms progress? I imagine no additional care is needed at first and lots at the end. How do I put a monetary value on the progression?

4. Are there any other important things or red flags I should be looking for with respect to getting insured before testing?

Thanks so much. I'm so glad to have found this forum. It appears to be filled with many strong individuals.

Holly

Good questions!

1 and 2. Yes HD counts as a cognitive impairment. I always advise people to ask questions about policies they might buy based on Alzheimer's. ie, "My neighbor's wife/husband developed Alzheimer's and had to go to a NH. How does this company decide it's time when there is a cognitive impairment like that?"

It definitely doesn't start at diagnosis and I am not clear on when NH coverage would kick in. I think it's when the person can no longer care for himself. But that's a little murkier than a physical thing. It's obvious when someone cannot feed themselves; it is not so obvious when they could feed themselves but don't because they forget to eat. The insurance company usually sends out a nurse to examine the person and also reviews medical records.

3. Most plans are for a five year period and I think that's probably right because it doesn't seem like it's possible to get someone placed before that in the progression of the disease. My ex's NH specializes in HD and charges $450 a day which is not what the policy pays so his savings is making up the difference. That's a lot of money but necessary at this point because of the behavioral issues. I don't think another NH would keep him.

4. I would ask about a plan that allows for inflation. If NH costs go up can you increase the coverage with an increase in premium?

deleted by me



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2011 10:00AM by lauraandpete.

You could speak with a licensed professional on call at an insurance aggregator website like AccuQuote.com. Since aggregator websites have so many carriers to choose from, their help extends to finding out the best carrier in LTC for HD, and where you will be treated fairly not just in terms of HD but also monetarily. You could also look up articles, blogs and other resources on such websites for your queries specific to HD, you might turn up with something very useful that your agent couldn’t tell you. You mentioned you were also looking for term insurance and DI – use aggregator websites to help you compare and find the best quotes on each. Hope this helps!


Denise Mancini
Disclaimer: I work for AccuQuote and this is my personal opinion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2013 06:57AM by DeniseMancini.

I need to gather more information regarding full coverage life insurance.

I wonder if it depends on the State one lives in , and the different insurance companies policies they follow.


How much do you pay for insurance?

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