Here is the real question The Wall Street Journal should consider

Yesterday The Wall Street Journal published the article "If you buy insurance Long Term Care?" Actually it was a debate between two people. Mark Meiners, professor of administration and health policy at George Mason University, argued in favor of long-term care insurance. Prescott Cole, a lawyer senior lawyers for the California nursing Home Reform, argued against. I feel compelled to respond because of the misrepresentation of the facts Mr. Cole about the long-term care insurance.

much of Mr. Cole argument seems to rest on the belief that most care is still in nursing homes. However, the facts are that over 85% of care is now provided outside houses nursing, making much of his theoretical argument. Nursing homes are a myriad of treatment options available to those with long-term care insurance, but most applicants now prefer care in settings ranging from the comfort of their own home, in day care for adults , to assisted living facilities and more.

instead of asking "If you buy long term care insurance?" a better question is "What is your long term care plan?" because this argument boils down to. It is not the risk of a long term care event; it is about the consequences if it happens. Insurance can not prevent the risk, but it can help your caregivers to manage the consequences.

Face it, when you need care, someone will provide that care, most likely a family member. So it becomes a question of how to provide your care will affect their health, finances and emotional state. Many studies have shown that family caregivers have a higher level of physical fatigue and are more prone to disease. They feel almost twice the normal rates of depression as they try to balance work, family and their own care. Caregivers also have financial difficulties because they work less, lose job opportunities, and pay out of pocket for certain expenses for your care. In addition, for a spouse, the money they spend on your care is now much less they can rely on their own future. An insurance plan may not completely eliminate one of these stresses on caregivers, but it can reduce them to a more manageable level.

M .. Cole also says that in "the game" of long-term care insurance, you play with a "stacked deck." What he fails to realize is that some of insurance options available can stack the deck your favor. for example, the shared care option with many political allows two people to share the risk by linking their benefits together. If one runs out their political advantage, they can use part or all of the joint political another option is to choose a policy linking long-term care benefits with a pension policy or life insurance. a winning proposal -win. If you ever need long-term care, the policy will pay for care, taking your premiums party several times your initial investment. If you need care, your heirs will receive a death benefit of your Plan policies. benefits related to eliminate "if I never use it, I lose" argument.

As medical advances are helping us live longer, many of us will need some form of long term care. The time to plan how you will handle this eventuality is when you are younger, are healthy and have options. Like any type of long-term strategy, you must first inform you about the options available to you, and then work with an experienced professional to make an informed decision. This way, if you choose to make with the traditional long-term care insurance or a related benefit policies, or ensure himself using your own money, you will go into this decision knowing all the pros and cons of your decision and how this will affect not only your care, but the lives of those around you.