Are you a Florida senior getting ready to enjoy your golden years? If your answer is yes, have you also started planning for long-term care? If you have, what type of long-term care coverage do you have? However, you may not be covered if you are depending on your current health insurance. Let us discuss more about planning for long term care in the Sunshine State.

Are you planning to have Medicare cover the cost of your long-term care? The fact is, even if you are over 65 and use Medicare for your health insurance, Medicare will not cover much in the way of long-term care, whether in a nursing home or in your own home. Having an extremely limited nursing home benefit, Medicare covers only up to 100 days of care and only in some circumstances. Therefore, it is not a reliable source of coverage if you end up needing real long-term care.

Are there any other resources for long-term care for seniors? Perhaps. Some seniors may rely on family members to help as they get older. An adult child or another relative can come to your home regularly or you may be able to move in with them. However, seniors are living longer these days, and with different generations living in different parts of the country, in-person consistent help from family might not be available. This may be particularly true if your children waited to have their own children until they were older, so now your children might be raising little ones at the same time you need the most help.

Are you wondering where to turn in regard to Medicaid planning and long-term care planning? A good first step is to hire a Florida elder law attorney who specializes in Medicaid planning. He can help you find out whether you qualify for Medicaid or how you can plan to qualify for Medicaid when the need for long-term care arises. Qualification depends on your income and assets at the time of your application for coverage. The sooner you meet with a Medicaid attorney, the better the attorney may be able to help you plan for the future. If you are able to qualify for coverage, Medicaid will cover all nursing home costs you may need in the future.

At David H. Jacoby Elder Law Advocate, P. A., we are focused on providing thorough, ethical, and timely solutions for our clients and their loved ones. We encourage you to contact us and schedule a meeting with us.