Will long term care insurance pay family members?

roser13, ASN, RN · Jul 20, 2010

I guess that you would have to look at the terms of your mother's LTC policy. Most insurance policies are unique and carry different terms.

TinkRN8 · Jul 20, 2010

Hello everyone. My grandmother has been in a skilled nursing/assisted living facility for about 11 years. My mother is retired and tends to her every day (sometimes twice a day). She's there so much she started volunteering to plan and run activities for the residents. My mother is a retired school teacher, she can't help herself! Anyways, after spending so much time in a LTC facility, she bought a LTC policy that pays for in home nursing care. I am a pre-nursing student now and I was wondering if anyone knows if these plans will pay me to take care of my mother. I know that no matter how good a facility or HHN may be, NO ONE will take care of my mother like I will. However, I am not independently wealthy and can not afford to have no income if I needed to take care of my mother. No, I am not becoming a nurse just for this reason and, honestly, at this point my strongest desire is pediatric nursing, but my mom is my :redbeathe. I would do just about anything for her. Has anyone done this? If it's even possible, is it a bad idea emotionally? Thanks in advance!

Hi, I am also a nursing student, but I have also been a licensed insurance agent for over 20 yrs for a major insurer and we sell LTC policies regularly. You would need to contact the insurance carrier of her policy for specifics as to what they will cover as each company has different underwriting guidelines for their policies. Some LTC policies cover both in facility and in home care, some only cover in a facility. However, most, if not all, usually require that the caregiver be certified through the state (depending on the state). You can't just be a family member staying at home to take care of your grandmother, again, depends on the state. I know the CNA school I went to also offered the caregiver classes as well. I am in AZ. Also, if you are requesting in home care, there are certain criteria that have to be met before the policy will pay. Again, those vary depending the policy. You would need to contact the company directly to find out what those are. Long story short, you should contact the insurance carrier to find out the specifics and ins and outs of the policy.

In regards to the actual caregiving side, that is hard to say. I can say from personal experience that it is emotionally and physically draining to care for a family member who is totally dependent. Within my own family I have seen the good and the bad. It is 24 hours non-stop. I do know that it is important to have the ability to be able to take breaks for your own sanity. The good thing about an LTC policy is that it will allow you to have respite care when you are on vacation or whatever.

Best Wishes!

realnursealso/LPN, LPN · Jul 20, 2010

Insurance policies do not usually pay relatives to provide care. In my homecare experience, some mothers went to nursing school thinking that they would be paid for caring for their own children, but they were told no. As mentioned above you should check the policy, but I think you will find that it will not be allowed.