Long-term care services are an important aspect of your health care plans and for that reason, it’s important to inform your loved ones and providers about your health care needs for the future. In fact, most adults should plan for long-term and even palliative care as it benefits the candidate when it comes to supportive care in the form of basic living needs such as bathing, dressing, personal care, housekeeping, meal preparations and even medical help.
According to news reports, research suggests that most adults reaching the age of 65 are often the most in need of long-term care due to factors such as gender, a disability that affects cognitive functions, overall health status, and home arrangement. The amount of care necessary will greatly depend primarily on the age and many living factors of the individual.
As a general fact, health professionals indicate that women live longer than men on average (by at least 5 years), and thus they are more likely than men to require long-term care. Just as you save for retirement, you must also plan for health care expenses related to long-term care or palliative care. Simple assistance with everyday activities can be a burden as people grow older and so it is crucial to have a plan with family and health care providers set in place for the inevitable. For more details and resources to develop a long-term care plan, you can visit longtermcare.gov.
An excerpt from Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) website the reveals that although Medicaid pays for the largest share of long-term care services, individuals must qualify with income and assets required to be at a certain level and minimum state eligibility requirements must be met. To find out if you might be eligible for Medicaid or to apply for benefits, visit the Your Texas Benefits website(link is external).
Excerpt from the HHS website: Texas is required by federal law to have a Medicaid Estate Recovery Program (MERP). This means that if you received Medicaid long-term care services, the state of Texas has the right to ask for money back from your estate after you die. In some cases, the state may not ask for anything back, and the state will never ask for more money back than it paid for your services.