How to plan for long-term care

by Sandra Teel

Medicare insurance broker

Although Medicare Health Insurance does not include long-term care (LTC), it does have resources to help people make a good choice should they or a loved one ever need LTC.

Whether planning ahead or needing to make an unexpected decision, there’s a lot for people to think about, including choosing the right nursing home for themselves or loved ones. Medicare.gov makes it easy to find and compare nursing homes in a specified area. People can personalize the results by filtering the options that matter most to them, including inspection results, location, number of beds and more.

People should also:

• Check out a nursing home’s overall star ratings. The overall rating is based on performance in three aspects: health inspections, staffing and quality of resident care.

• View detailed staffing data, including the hours of different types of staff and staff turnover rates.

• Look at COVID-19 vaccination rates for residents and staff.

Nursing home contact information and directions can also be found on the site, as well as what Medicare does and does not cover. LWers can also contact Robann Arshat, member resources and assistance liaison, at (562) 431-6586, ext. 317, for help in locating a reputable nursing home.

Sandra Teel is a licensed independent broker who can be reached at (657) 204-4224. Visit www.steelmedicareins.com for more information.

Be sure to check staffing quality and other data.