With the current state of medical costs in the US, many people could be forgiven for worrying about how they will go about paying for nursing home costs.
If you are in a position to take out medical insurance which will cover you for nursing home care should you need it, my advice would be to do it immediately! Unfortunately with insurance, it is a game of odds.
The insurance company bets that you won't need the care, and the more likely they think it is that you will need the care, the more you pay.
In fact, there are sometimes specific restrictions on policies which may say that you can't be covered against certain ailments if you already predisposed to them.
Likewise, if you are in a position where you need to pay for nursing home care, then an insurance company will not let you take out a policy which will entitle you to have the costs covered by them.
An insurance company simply will not let you take out a policy for something they will definitely have to pay out on - they would never make any money! With this in mind, you may feel there are few options for paying for nursing home care if you suddenly find yourself in need.
But even if you haven't managed to take out the insurance you need there are options available to you.
Medicare is a state funded service which can help you with all medical needs including nursing home costs.
They may pay some of the costs for you in certain dedicated care homes, within certain restrictions.
Sometimes you have to have specific medical requirements, or have had a stint in hospital in order to qualify for the help.
Another service is Medicaid.
They are slightly different in that they will help you based on income.
They will provide help to people who fall below a certain income threshold, and have less than a certain amount of assets.
It is hard to provide figures on the exact amounts, as you would need to approach them directly to establish if you qualify for any assistance that may be on offer.
You do always have the option of paying for the care yourself.
If you are able to find an affordable home, they will accept monthly installments from you, much in the way that you would rent an apartment.
A lot of people who find themselves in need of nursing home care will sell the houses they own and use the money to pay for the care they need.
This is why Medicaid will only help people who are not in possession of assets which they could use to fund their own care; paying for nursing home costs is seen by most as essentially being up to the individual in question, and not something that the state is obliged to provide.
As you can see, there are three main ways to pay for nursing home care: use your income and assets, take out insurance or ask the state for help.
Most people would recommend taking out insurance for the best possible care available.