By John Mills

As a caregiver and founder of eCareDiary.com, I am very excited that President Obama has decided to support a long term care benefit in Health Reform.  Based on my past experience in Heath Reform, long term care has rarely come to the forefront of the healthcare discussion, so this is a welcome development.

Senator Ted Kennedy has proposed a federal long term care insurance program which is included in the Health Reform bill. The Kennedy proposal would create an affordable long term care insurance policy that working individuals could purchase for as little as $65 per month.  This is a low premium considering an average long term care insurance policy for a 55 year old will cost over $100 month and will increase to over $300 for a senior citizen.  (For more information, here is the link to the bill)

The long term care insurance program would provide a benefit of $50 per day for home care and nursing home services.  While this is a modest amount, it will help many people stay in their homes when they become debilitated with long term illnesses.

Currently, the main option for people needing government assistance to pay for long term care is Medicaid, a program designed to help the poor.  To qualify for it, people must spend down most of their assets.  Medicaid is a program run as a federal-state partnership and this puts many people at the mercy of their state’s Medicaid rules when determining the care that they will receive.  Depending on the state you live in, this could mean moving to a nursing home or other facility.  (Medicaid is a topic requiring a separate article and I will write on it soon.) 

I was a caregiver for more than five years for my father who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and I saw first hand how important it is to keep people in their homes whenever appropriate.  Like many senior citizens, he was a proud man who had been independent and cared for himself most of his life.  He wanted to continue living in his community which he was able to achieve through the support of family and friends. 

The proposed long term care benefit will help people control their own destiny by creating an affordable policy that will help more people with long term illnesses stay in their homes.  It is a long-awaited development, and President Obama is to be commended for supporting its inclusion in Health Reform.