Using Long-Term Care Insurance to Pay for In-Home Care
If you or a parent already has a long-term care insurance policy, you've probably found out it's not always obvious how to actually use it. Jake and Zac at Providential Home Care hear this constantly: families who've paid into a policy for years and then hit a wall trying to figure out what it covers, how to file a claim, and who will actually provide the care.
Long-term care insurance is built to pay for exactly this kind of help, including in-home care, not just nursing homes or assisted living. Providential Home Care works with families across Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, and the greater Portland area to put those benefits to use, so your policy actually does what you bought it to do.
How Long-Term Care Insurance Works for In-Home Care
Most long-term care policies cover in-home care once a policyholder needs hands-on help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, or moving around safely. Here's what every policy handles a little differently.
Benefit triggers
Most policies require a doctor or care assessor to confirm you need help with a set number of daily activities before benefits start.
Elimination period
This is the waiting period between when care begins and when the policy starts paying, often 30 to 90 days, though it depends entirely on your plan.
Daily or monthly benefit
Policies pay out at a set rate, and that rate rarely covers 100% of a caregiver’s hourly cost, so it helps to know the number going in.
None of this is one-size-fits-all, and reading the fine print on an insurance policy isn't how anyone wants to spend an afternoon. That's the part Providential Home Care helps with.
Insurance Carriers We Work With
Providential Home Care isn't an insurance company, and we don't sell policies. What we do is work directly with families who already hold a long-term care policy and want to use it to pay for in-home care. We've worked with clients on policies from:
Genworth
One of the most common long-term care carriers we see in Oregon.
CNA
Long-standing long-term care policies, often held for many years.
Transamerica
Individual and employer-sponsored long-term care plans.
FLTCIP
The Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program, for federal employees, retirees, and their families.
Don't see your carrier listed?
That's fine, call us anyway. We work with families on policies from other companies too. These are just the ones we see most often in the Portland area.
How Providential Home Care Helps You Use Your Benefits
We'll look at your policy with you and help you understand what it actually covers, in plain language. From there, we help gather whatever documentation your insurer needs to approve benefits, and we coordinate with your care manager or claims contact so you're not the one stuck on hold.
Plain-language policy review
We read the fine print with you and translate it
Documentation support
We help gather what your insurer needs to approve benefits
Carrier coordination
We work with your care manager or claims contact directly
A team that knows your file
Locally owned by two brothers, so whoever picks up the phone knows your family
“The insurance company already has your money. The least they can do is make it easy to use.”
— Jake, Co-Founder
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, yes. Long-term care insurance is typically designed to cover a range of care settings, including in-home care, assisted living, and nursing facilities. AARP's guide to long-term care insurance is a good outside resource if you want to read more on how policies generally work. The best way to know for sure is to check your specific policy or let us help you review it.
Call us. We work with a range of carriers beyond the ones listed above. Genworth, CNA, Transamerica, and FLTCIP are simply the policies we see most often from families in the Beaverton and Portland-metro area.
Usually, yes. Most policies have what is called an elimination period, typically somewhere between 30 and 90 days, before benefits start paying out. We can help you figure out where you stand in that timeline.
Yes. In addition to long-term care insurance, Providential Home Care accepts VA benefits and HSA funds as payment options. Visit our cost and pricing page for full details.
Fill out the form on this page or call us directly at (503) 758-4843. We will walk through your policy together and let you know what to expect before any care begins.
Not sure what your policy covers? Let's find out together.
Tell us a bit about your policy and we'll help you understand your options. No obligation, no pressure.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call Providential Home Care at (503) 758-4843 or contact us online. Jake and Zac's team will walk you through it.