Life insurance with a long-term care rider can help pay for long-term care if you need it. Find out how LTC riders work and if they're worth it.
Using life insurance for long-term care (LTC) via a rider can provide some financial protection if you're no longer able to take care of yourself as you get older. Life insurance with an LTC rider will increase your premium, and if you tap into your policy's benefits while you're alive, there might not be much left for your beneficiaries when you pass. However, the life insurance and long-term care combo this rider provides may be an option for obtaining a long-term care benefit.
A long-term care life insurance rider is a policy addition that slightly changes how your life insurance works, allowing you to use part or all of the policy's death benefit for long-term care while you're alive. This rider can help you pay for your long-term care expenses that traditional health insurance doesn't cover, such as a home health care worker, long-term care facility, or a nursing home. An LTC rider doesn't pay for expenses covered by health insurance policies like doctor visits, hospital stays, or prescriptions.
If your insurer offers long-term care riders, you can typically add one to a permanent policy such as universal life insurance or whole life insurance. LTC riders aren't usually added to term life insurance policies, but check with your insurer to find out what's possible.
If you qualify for the long-term care benefit via your LTC rider, your life insurer may distribute up to the allowed amount, which may be set as a lump sum or as a percentage of your policy's death benefit each month. Monthly allowed amounts vary but could range from 1% to 4% of your death benefit. Most policies have a waiting period, usually around 90 days, before you can begin receiving the benefit.
There are two types of payouts you might receive: indemnity and reimbursement. If your policy provides indemnity payments, you get a set amount each month to use however you want. If you have a reimbursement plan, you submit receipts for your monthly bills, and the insurance company reimburses you for covered expenses.
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