Everyone knows that insurance companies don’t like to pay claims when we get sick or injured, and long-term care insurance companies are no different. However, abuses including unjust denials of care are more disturbing when they harm the elderly and disabled.
Consumer Watchdog is investigating problems with long-term care insurance, which is intended to provide care and assistance to mostly senior and disabled persons either at home or in a nursing facility. Services range from advanced care at a nursing home to simple home assistance with daily activities like bathing, eating or dressing.
Please let us know if you or a loved one has been denied care or payment for care under a long-term care policy.
Here’s a common scenario: Your mother spent decades paying premiums on a long-term care insurance policy for the security of knowing that she’ll be taken care of in the evening of her life. She thought she wouldn’t have to worry about paying for the expense of a nursing home or a caregiver. You both rested easy knowing that neither of you would have any of the financial burden during such an emotional time.
When the time comes, you hire caregivers to help your mom with the daily care and activities she can no longer do herself. You prepare and submit the proper claims documents to the insurance company to get reimbursed for her care.
Then, you get a letter from the insurance company telling you that she is for some reason not eligible for benefits. As you fight this denial, more bills roll in. For each claim you submit, the insurance company gives you a new reason why your mother’s care is not covered. Bills mount and you struggle to pay out of pocket for the coverage to which your mother is entitled.
People with long-term care policies have the thrift and foresight to prepare for old age, and they should not be stripped of their dignity in return.
Has something like this happened to your family or someone you know? We’re trying to confirm how widespread the problem is, and we need your help. Please click here to tell us your story.
