There are many kinds of insurance, so many it almost makes your head spin. There is homeowners insurance, car insurance, renters insurance, life insurance, disability insurance. Heck, the truly cautious can even buy earthquake insurance (predominantly sold in California, of course). But, what about long term care insurance? Is that worth the money? And what is it anyway? Isn’t it like that commercial with the duck in it that keeps getting hurt?

Long term health Care Insurance is almost exactly what it sounds like… a long term care insurance policy you buy to help provide for the cost of long-term care beyond a predetermined period of time. Long term insurance covers care that is not generally covered by regular health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. It is excess to what you may think you already have.

Individuals who require long term care are not sick in the general sense. They usually need special care in their daily activities, dressing, bathing, and eating, daily hygiene, getting in and out of bed or a chair, and possibly walking. And this may not even be necessarily long term care in the traditional sense. This may be care required to recover or rehabilitate from an accident or a surgery. A long term care insurance policy provides for these and many other things.

If you think you are too young to think about long term care now, think again. It doesn’t discriminate based on age. You have only to think of the actor Christopher Reeve to know that. He became paralyzed at 42 by a riding accident and subsequently required 9 years of long term care. The author Stephen King required long term care following a car accident that nearly took his life while he was a pedestrian in his 50’s. And the actor Michael J. Fox struggles still daily with Parkinson’s disease diagnosed at age 30. In fact, about 40% of those receiving long term care are between the ages of 18 and 64.

Medicaid generally does not pay for long term care in a home setting; therefore long term health care insurance is your best option and definitely something to consider. If home care coverage is purchased, long term care insurance will pay for it, often from the first day it is needed. It will pay for a live-in caregiver or private duty nurse up to 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Assisted living is paid for by long term care insurance as is respite care, adult daycare and hospice care. Long term care insurance can also pay expenses for caring for an individual who suffers from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

So before you go on that next skydiving trip, check out some long term health care insurance. You might be doing you and your family a huge favor!