Which Is The Best Long Term Care Insurance? 
The bottom-line response to this question is `` the long-term care insurance that is in force when you are no longer able to take care of 2 of 6 activities of daily living or are diagnosed with an organic cognitive impairment like Alzheimer 's disease . '' However , the question is an important one and deserves elaboration.The consumer ultimately has to decide what the best long-term care insurance is for them . That requires a sometimes annoying learning curve to find out how the policy works , what the benefits , features , and riders are , and whether one can afford to purchase any kind of long-term care insurance at all.Long-term care insurance is complicated because the issue it addresses is complicated . The risk is that one has about a 1 in 6 chance of needing the help of someone else to bathe , dress , get to a restroom -LRB- in time -RRB- , move from one place to another , be able to eat and/or drink food sufficient for one 's well-being , take Rx medication in the proper dosage at the proper time among other basic daily activities over an extended period of time . These `` ADLs '' or , activities of daily living , are formally defined in a long-term care insurance policy.Clearly , there is a lot of subjective judgment regarding these ADLs and people are often skeptical about who will have the ultimate decision for eligibility to go on claim . Therefore , obtain a `` specimen policy '' from your agent and read it over carefully because that is what you are considering buying - not glossy marketing materials , not agent summaries and simplifications , and certainly not the illustration that might be initially provided for discussion purposes . The insurance contract is a legal document and constitutes the promise of the carrier to the policyowner . If you do n't understand how it works , and you do n't get satisfactory and intelligible explanations from an insurance professional - either the agent , or a carrier representative at the insurance company 's home office - do n't buy it . Here are some general guidelines of the best long-term care policy as represented by contract language : 1 . The definitions section is easy to understand and written in language that does not use technical jargon ; 2 . The section on claims clearly indicates how one can receive benefits3 . There are specifically stated services that the carrier provides at the time of claim to help the insured find qualified and/or skilled nurses for home care and quality-rated facilities should full 24/7 care be needed . This section of the document must include the words `` care coordinator '' and `` plan of care '' .4 . Customer service contact information is prominently displayed in bold type in a font large enough to be easily read by the elderly and is found in several locations in the policy .5 . Contract language allows for the possibility of medical and technical advances in care and medicine for coverage , even though it does not now exist or is not definable at this time .6 . Exclusions are concise and easily understood.The best long-term care insurance is the kind that you understand . It takes a while to figure it out , but this type of insurance could be the difference in your dying alone with no -LRB- or poor -RRB- care while still alive , or dying with dignity with quality care from people that know what they are doing and have the certification and skills to treat you . Take the time and make the effort to be an informed applicant . 