A Wake up Call for Elders and Family Caregivers: Long-term Care Costs Force Middle Class Families into Poverty
To help raise awareness that all but the very poor will be expected to pay their own long-term care bills, a comprehensive new web site - www.avoidmedicaid.com was launched on June 15.
Dedham, MA (PRWEB) June 16, 2005 -- A harsh fact of life in our deficit
plagued nation is that publicly funded care for frail elders has been seriously
underfunded for years. The result has been a "two tier" care system. Those
dependent on publicly subsidized care often get poor quality care, very little
care, or are placed on a waiting list with no care at all.
Nursing homes
that rely on Medicaid, the government funded health care program for the poor,
are chronically understaffed due to low pay and difficult working
conditions.
Avoidmedicaid.com provides comprehensive information
describing what long-term care is, including alternatives to nursing home
placement. Formerly known as "nursing home insurance", private long-term care
coverage may now be the most affordable resource available to avoid being forced
into a nursing home.
In addition to raising awareness of the
affordability of private long-term care insurance, avoidmedicaid.com provides
information about other alternatives to pay for care including reverse
mortgages, and using life insurance to obtain funds for care that must be paid
out of pocket.
Avoidmedicaid.com is not affiliated with and does not
endorse specific insurance companies. The web site is sponsored by a consortium
of eldercare service providers and is managed by Informed Eldercare Decisions,
Inc. of Dedham, MA, a nationally known, independent long- term care consulting
firm.
The new web site provides a virtual encyclopedia of elder care and
long-term care information to enable consumers to determine whether or not
long-term care insurance or other funding alternatives are best suited to their
personal situation.Bob O'Toole, President of
Informed Eldercare
Decisions, Inc. describes the company mission statement in one sentence; "We
help family caregivers to find the best care available and the most practical
way to pay for that care." .
"The unifying focus of our web based
long-term care information and education sites, which include
elderlifeplanning.com and eldercareatwork.com is to raise awareness of the
serious shortcomings of nursing home care, and to encourage the goal of "least
restrictive alternatives" for those who need care. A better understanding of
such funding alternatives as long-term care insurance, reverse mortgages, and
life settlements allows those who need care to have broader choices and prevent
nursing home placement.
Avoidmedicaid.com provides in depth information
is on subjects such as; Home Health Care, other community care alternatives,
Assisted Living Facilities, Nursing Homes, and other service choices.
The often confusing subject of long-term care insurance, is explained in
"plain english" as are related topics such as; federal and state tax advantages
for those who purchase long-term care insurance. These deductions are especially
favorable to business owners and self employed individuals.
Visitors to
avoidmedicaid.com also have unlimited access to a section known as "LTC School".
This allows consumers to navigate through several pages explaining what long-
term care is and why planning for these costs now are essential to any
retirement or financial plan. Using the LTCI Tool Kit at avoidmedicaid.com
allows you to find out the costs of care and what insurance premiums are likely
to cost at a specific age in a specific state, without providing any personal
identifying information.
About Informed Eldercare Decisions, Inc.
Informed Eldercare Decisions, Inc. is a private company dedicated to helping
family caregivers to find the best care alternatives any where in the U.S. IED
specializes in helping families who are dealing with issues of aging and
disability, including non-geriatric adults. When necessary our eldercare
professionals can step in and become surrogate caregivers for the family. We
help caregivers coordinate the work of the many service providers who are
involved with the complex business of planning and care giving. This includes
doctors, nurses, therapists, financial and legal advisors and home care or
facility staff.
Website: http://www.elderlifeplanning.com
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb251450.htm