s that the policy will pay out benefits to you when the need for care arises. Usually this benefit is listed as 3, 4, 5, 6 or more years, or even for a person's lifetime. Obviously, the longer the coverage the more expensive the policy.

5. The Elimination Period - this is the number of days that you agree to pay for care out of your own pocket before the policy will kick in and start paying for care for you from th

At first glance, long term care insurance(LTCi) can seem to be confusing and complicated. However all good LTCi policies have five foundational features that are the core of the protection and if you understand these five features, you will be able to assemble a policy that makes sense and is easy to comprehend.

Of course, there are several secondary or ancillary features that can be added on, and here is often where the confusion sets in. In fact, I often see folks spend so much time on the secondary policy benefits that they don't give the foundational features the attention that they deserve.

Here though are the five benefit features that you should know about and look for in a good LTCi policy:

1. The Policy Care Setting - this determines whether your care will be covered and paid for if you are in a facility, at home, or a combination of both. These days, many policies that are on the market offer "Integrated" protection, meaning that it pays for both home and facility care.

2. The Daily Benefit - this is the amount per day that the policy will pay in benefits for care received. To arrive at this figure it is often a good idea to find out what the average cost of care is per day in most facilities in your area and use that as a starting point and guide for the Daily Benefit since you want to be sure to cover at least that cost should the need arise.

3. The Inflation Benefit - this helps keep your policy current with the rising costs of health care in this field so that you will have sufficient coverage when you have to actually use the policy even if it is several years from now.

4. The Benefit Period - this is the number of days that the policy will pay out benefits to you when the need for care arises. Usually this benefit is listed as 3, 4, 5, 6 or more years, or even for a person's lifetime. Obviously, the longer the coverage the more expensive the policy.

5. The Elimination Period - this is the number of days that you agree to pay for care out of your own pocket before the policy will kick in and start paying for care for you from the

re the confusion sets in. In fact, I often see folks spend so much time on the secondary policy benefits that they don't give the foundational features the attention that they deserve.

Here though are the five benefit features that you should know about and look for in a good LTCi policy:

1. The Policy Care Setting - this determines whether your care will be covered and paid for if you are in a facility, at home, or a combination of both. These days, many policies that are on the market offer "Integrated" protection, meaning that it pays for both home and facility care.

2. The Daily Benefit - this is the amount per day that the policy will pay in benefits for care received. To arrive at this figure it is often a good idea to find out what the average cost of care is per day in most facilities in your area and use that as a starting point and guide for the Daily Benefit since you want to be sure to cover at least that cost should the need arise.

3. The Inflation Benefit - this helps keep your policy current with the rising costs of health care in this field so that you will have sufficient coverage when you have to actually use the policy even if it is several years from now.

4. The Benefit Period - this is the number of days that the policy will pay out benefits to you when the need for care arises. Usually this benefit is listed as 3, 4, 5, 6 or more years, or even for a person's lifetime. Obviously, the longer the coverage the more expensive the policy.

5. The Elimination Period - this is the number of days that you agree to pay for care out of your own pocket before the policy will kick in and start paying for care for you from th

ome, or a combination of both. These days, many policies that are on the market offer "Integrated" protection, meaning that it pays for both home and facility care.

2. The Daily Benefit - this is the amount per day that the policy will pay in benefits for care received. To arrive at this figure it is often a good idea to find out what the average cost of care is per day in most facilities in your area and use that as a starting point and guide for the Daily Benefit since you want to be sure to cover at least that cost should the need arise.

3. The Inflation Benefit - this helps keep your policy current with the rising costs of health care in this field so that you will have sufficient coverage when you have to actually use the policy even if it is several years from now.

4. The Benefit Period - this is the number of days that the policy will pay out benefits to you when the need for care arises. Usually this benefit is listed as 3, 4, 5, 6 or more years, or even for a person's lifetime. Obviously, the longer the coverage the more expensive the policy.

5. The Elimination Period - this is the number of days that you agree to pay for care out of your own pocket before the policy will kick in and start paying for care for you from th

s a starting point and guide for the Daily Benefit since you want to be sure to cover at least that cost should the need arise.

3. The Inflation Benefit - this helps keep your policy current with the rising costs of health care in this field so that you will have sufficient coverage when you have to actually use the policy even if it is several years from now.

4. The Benefit Period - this is the number of days that the policy will pay out benefits to you when the need for care arises. Usually this benefit is listed as 3, 4, 5, 6 or more years, or even for a person's lifetime. Obviously, the longer the coverage the more expensive the policy.

5. The Elimination Period - this is the number of days that you agree to pay for care out of your own pocket before the policy will kick in and start paying for care for you from th

s that the policy will pay out benefits to you when the need for care arises. Usually this benefit is listed as 3, 4, 5, 6 or more years, or even for a person's lifetime. Obviously, the longer the coverage the more expensive the policy.

5. The Elimination Period - this is the number of days that you agree to pay for care out of your own pocket before the policy will kick in and start paying for care for you from then on. The most common choices are 30, 60, 90 or even 180 days. The more days that you pay for from your own funds the less expensive the policy premiums will usually be.

These five foundational features make up the lion's share of the coverage that you receive under most LTCi policies, so it makes sense to become familiar with them more so than any other optional ancillary benefits. Once you have the foundation of your policy's coverage set you can enlist the help of a well-qualified LTCi agent to explore any secondary features that may be helpful to consider.