Alzheimer's Disease Healthcare Introduction & Overview
Many financial issues arise when you are responsible for a loved one's care. These may be new to you and can often be confusing. In this section, we will provide you with information that will help you understand your options in paying for healthcare and negotiating the government programs that are available to help. Click on the links within the text below for more information on each topic.
A good attorney experienced in elder law or a geriatric care manager can help guide you through the myriad benefit programs, but it is important to have a basic understanding of these programs.
In general, government benefit programs can be grouped into two categories. The first group includes social insurance programs, such as Medicare and Social Security. These programs are open to people regardless of income or property assets.
The second group of benefits includes needs-based programs, such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income. These are available only to people who qualify because of their needs - generally low incomes and limited savings.
Medicare and Medicaid also provide medical insurance benefits. Medicare Supplemental Insurance (also called Medigap) is designed to pay for medical care that is not covered, or is only partially covered, by Medicare. Medigap policies, which are sold by private insurance companies and regulated by state and federal authorities, are available to all Medicare beneficiaries.
Long-term-care insurance is an insurance policy purchased from a private company that helps pay for long-term care, whether the care consists of home-based services, assisted living, or residence in a nursing home.
In some cases, it may be necessary to find other ways to pay for care; cash settlements may provide the answer. Two options are reverse mortgages and viatical benefits, sometimes described as "cashing out" of life insurance policies. These are discussed further in this section.
Understanding What's Available
Understanding the various state and federal government benefits programs that you or your loved one may be eligible for can be challenging. To help make it easier, ALZinfo.org partner, the National Council on the Aging, has developed
BenefitsCheckUp, a free, online service that helps seniors identify assistance programs that can help improve their quality of life. This confidential service contains a simple,
straightforward questionnaire that takes no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Within minutes you get a report detailing programs and services for which you qualify.
The
BenefitsCheckUp report provides a carefully edited list of government programs older Americans most likely qualify for, including those that provide educational opportunities, employment programs, financial assistance and legal services, health care, prescription drug, home energy and housing assistance, in-home services, or volunteer opportunities. More than 1,000 different programs are included in the database from all 50 states, including the District of Columbia.
According to the National Council on the Aging, nearly 1.2 million seniors qualify for but don't receive Social Security; 3 million never receive the Medicaid assistance they deserve and 3.7 million qualify for but do not receive food stamps.
BenefitsCheckUp helps older Americans find these and other government programs, providing the information you need to access services such as education, employment and volunteer opportunities, financial assistance, health care, home care or housing assistance, and food programs. The service is free of charge and confidential.
In addition to their
BenefitsCheckUp program, The National Council on the Aging (NCOA) has launched a comprehensive, Web-based service to connect older adults with over 50% public and private prescription savings programs covering nearly 800 prescription drugs.
BenefitsCheckUpRx provides comprehensive information on approximately 30 state-funded pharmacy programs, each state's Medicaid program, and 116 company-sponsored patient assistance programs, among others.
You can now quickly determine what prescription savings programs a senior qualifies for and how to claim them. Once users complete a brief questionnaire, the service displays a personalized report specifying all the programs they are eligible for and detailed instructions on how to enroll. Click below to access both the BenefitsCheckUp and the BenefitsCheckUpRx programs.
Click here to access BenefitsCheckUp.
For more insurance information go to: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthinsurance.html
For more financial assistance information go to: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/financialassistance.html
For a comprehensive list of professionals and services in your area, click below.
Resource Locator
The Resource Locator lets you search for providers by name, state, city, or ZIP code from a list of more than 30 types of health care professionals and services.
Source: Excerpted from "Caring: A Guide to Caring for Persons
with Alzheimer's Disease," from the New York City Department for the Aging,
Alzheimer's and Long-Term Care Unit.
