One of the details of provisions that is often overlooked, forgotten and misunderstood by policyholders about long term care insurance is Elimination Period. This feature, which is an important aspect of the policy, is usually referred to as deductible period, or waiting period. Elimination period is an specified amount of time that the policyholder will cover his own care expenses before the insurance company takes charge. For example, of the policyholders elimination period is 60 days, he needs to be disabled for 60 days before any insurance benefits or coverage begins.

Most of the LTCi has elimination period before the policy is triggered and a policy holder can begin receiving the benefits. It is important to understand the significance of various provisions in reference to elimination period expressed in policies and the state in which the policyholder lives.

There are several elimination period being offered by care insurance company. It could be 30, 60, 90, 180, and 365 days. It is rare to find companies that offer zero day elimination period. Those who policy holder owning a bulk of assets can choose 180 or 365 days.

Policyholder can choose whether to take a shorter or longer waiting/elimination period. But what is a reasonable choice? It will help a lot to understand the difference of the two before making decision. Shorter elimination period means lesser expenses when the time comes for the policyholder to receive the benefits. This kind of elimination period requires a higher premium compared to the longer elimination period because the insurance company does not cash out on the first care expenses of the policyholder. This can have a dramatic effect on the premiums that the policyholders pay throughout the policy. The longer waiting period means a longer waiting time but a lower premium pay of the policyholders. If you will to take the longer benefit period it is important that you have enough resources and savings.

The person deciding for insurance should think wisely on how long the elimination period will be. What’s working with others does not necessarily mean will work for you also. Aside from health history, current and future financial resources should also be considered. Some ways to avoid the costly risks in choosing the best elimination period are the following: (a) Always review the terms of coverage in your policy insurance, (b) Secure funds for expenses, (c) Asked assistance from family members, friends or relatives to reduce the cost that you will have to pay for a home health aide or a caregiver, and (d) ask your insurance policy on paperwork needed to qualify for Medicare/Medicaid licensed home and Rehab visit counts, because some policies count your stay in these facilities.

There’s no easy choice when it comes to choosing the best policy insurance. It is recommended for the policyholders to keep in mind that insurance is often used as a way to avoid suffering catastrophic financial losses, rather than insuring against possible expenses. Taking risk can be comical and reasonable at some point.