Do I Continue Paying LCTi Premiums While Receiving Benefits?

August 7th, 2008 by Terry Stanfield
by Terry Stanfield

This is a common question for those who have been paying their LCTi Premiums, but are about to collect on them. Heaven forbid that you may need to start collecting benefits abruptly because of an accident, illness or surgery, but in the event this happens, you will want to collect on your benefits while you are still in the process of paying your premiums. It is an excellent question and a very important one because it will dictate when you begin receiving the benefits of long-term care from your LCTi premiums.

The truth is that once you want to begin receiving the benefits of your LCTi program, you will need to fill out a waiver of premium, which will then allow you to stop paying your premiums once the time comes that you are eligible for them and you have finished the waiting period.

There is a very important point to remember when you waive your LCTi premiums, and that is that not all premiums may be waived. Depending on the LCTi plan, you may waive your LCTi premiums for nursing home care, but not for home care, while other plans waive both premiums. It is important you know which applies to you and how your coverage provider will respond to the request.

Once you have recovered, in the case of surgery, an illness, or accident, you can begin paying premiums again as your benefits will cease at that point. If you are using the long-term care insurance federal program, you do not pay premiums after the first day of the month after you have completed your mandatory waiting period. At that point, you will begin receiving the benefits of the program again.

While all LCTi premiums providers will provide you with your benefits when you stop the premiums, you should make sure you find out how that will work, what you will be entitled to and what may not be covered by the plan you have stopped paying premiums into. Generally, it will be universal across the board, but there is not harm in checking to see the minor details and fine print on the insurance forms. This will save you from headaches later on, down the road.

Conclusion Paying your LCTi premiums allow you to collect on the benefits of the LCTi coverage plan later on. However, knowing if you still pay your premiums while you are receiving benefits has become a common question for many individuals. The fact of the matter is that no, you will not be paying your premiums while you collect your benefits, but you will have to fill out a waiver of premium form, as well as go through the waiting period before you receive the benefits. Once this is done, you will begin receiving your benefits until the point comes where you have recovered and are able to begin paying premiums once again. As stated, find out what your benefits will entitle you to so you are not left with something that may not work for your current long-term care situation.

You should just ask for help from an insurance representative who specializes in long term care insurance to answer any questions.

About the Author:
Before you go out and buy a policy go to Long Term Care Insurance Guide, ask questions and request a long term care insurance quote. We represent 20 of the top LTCi providers. This gives you tremendous options.

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Long Term Insurance Fraud: How To Avoid It

August 6th, 2008 by Terry Stanfield
by Terry Stanfield

We do not live in a perfect world and the risk of fraud exists. It may be a fraud through a company offering you products, or it may be fraud through con artists, but the sad truth is it exists. Long-term care insurance is not exempt from the risk of fraud, and there are those out there who will try and benefit off your misfortune and leave you with nothing. One of the important things you can learn from the mistakes of others is how to avoid being a victim of insurance fraud.

Obviously, the first thing anyone should consider when they are thinking of getting long-term care insurance is research. Researching a company is one of the best ways to prevent long-term insurance fraud. When you look at the record of a company, you will be given a clear indication of how they will treat you and your money.

You should look into the financial rating of a company to determine how legit it is, and how stable it is. Standard & Poor determines the strength of insurance companies, as well as giving detailed financial profiles on thousands of insurance companies. You can also look at Fitch Ratings, which give financial strength ratings for many insurance companies.

When you decide on a long-term care insurance policy, make sure you get the policy when you meet with the insurance broker. Do not fall for the line of ‘It is all in the brochure.’ Usually, it is not. You should be able to get the policy, in writing, when you meet with the broker and before you sign it, make sure you read it very carefully, even if you have to take it home to do so.

When you get a policy, you are asked for a month’s premium up front to process the application. If you choose not to accept the policy or you are declined, you should get your money back in full.

You can also talk to friends of yours to find out what insurance company they go through for their own long-term care insurance policies, if they do. However, do not accept their word because they could be victims of long-term insurance fraud and not even know it yet. Just research the company and if you find out something troubling, let them know. Conclusion Long-term care insurance is one of the best things you can do to make sure you are not a financial burden on your family. However, you do not want to give someone your money and find out later that you were a victim of fraud. Then, with all the money you put in, you come up with nothing and that is a horrible situation to be in. Do your research, ask questions, don’t sign anything without reading it and always make clear what you expect up front. If you do this, you should be okay and be able to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of long-term care insurance fraud. You should just ask for help from an insurance representative who specializes in long term care insurance to answer any questions.

About the Author:
Before you go out and buy a policy go to Long Term Care Insurance Guide, ask questions and request a long term care insurance quote. We represent 20 of the top LTCi providers. This gives you tremendous options.

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