California voters, regardless of political party affiliation or income level, feel unprepared for the costs of long-term care, according to a new poll.
Fifty-eight percent of registered California voters age 40 and older say they feel unprepared to pay for services if they could no longer care for themselves independently and need long-term care, according to research from The SCAN Foundation and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners and American Viewpoint, surveyed more than 1,200 registered California voters age 40 and older in English and Spanish about long-term care issues.
Two-thirds – including majorities across political parties – said they are worried about long-term care costs, as are 75 percent of those who are currently providing help to family or friends and 74 percent of those who anticipate providing help in the near future.
Concern also spans all income levels, including 63 percent of those reporting annual incomes of $75,000 and above.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at least 70 percent of Americans over the age of 65 will need long-term care services at some point in their lives, and more than 40 percent will get care in a nursing home for even a short period of time.
Fifty-seven percent of poll respondents said they could not afford more than three months of in-home care. Currently, it costs about $1,700 a month in California to have a licensed personal care aide provide part-time care to an individual in the home. One in three surveyed say they could not afford even one month of in-home care.
Sixty-six percent say they could not afford more than three months of nursing home care at an average cost of $6,000 per month in California, while 42 percent say they could not afford even one month of care.
Only 15 percent of those surveyed report having long-term care insurance. Just 20 percent of those polled were aware that Medicare does not cover ongoing in-home personal care; similarly, only 30 percent knew that Medicare does not cover prolonged nursing home care.
To get help from the state for long-term care costs, individuals in California must spend down their assets to $2,000 and have a near-poverty income after paying for medical expenses. Of those polled, 67 percent said they are worried about spending all of their savings in order to get help paying for long-term care, and 65 percent say this particular issue should be a high priority for elected officials.
State legislators have proposed cuts of $5.5 billion to home- and community-based long-term care services as part of the 2010-11 state budget. Currently, none of the leading candidates for California governor has included long-term care in their policy platforms.