Some companies offer group life insurance, a few at no cost to the employee and several with a small cost. With some group life insurance plans they are guarantee issue (G.I.) which means there is no health underwriting to qualify. Most often companies will base the amount of life insurance you are eligible for on your income. For example: If you make $30,000 per year, you can receive either 1x your salary ($30,000) or 2x ($60,000). In many cases you can “buy-up” or increase you insurance for an additional cost.
For many people G.I. life through the employer is the only way they can get life insurance because they have things in their personal history either health related or criminal such as DUI’s and felonies. G.I. life is a great opportunity for them and it would be recommended for them to buy as much as is allowed.
However, with many group life plans though, in order to receive the benefit you must be currently employed with the company. I don’t know many people that are planning to die at their job! But keep in mind there many different life plans available that a company can choose and this only speaks to one kind so it may not apply to your particular plan. It’s always good to read your policy and ask questions.
If your employer makes “voluntary” life insurance options available you should always consider taking advantage of those plans to purchase additional life insurance, this is at an additional cost of course. You may ask yourself, why do I need to purchase additional life insurance if my employer already provides it at little or no cost? That’s a great question and I would refer you to the 3rd paragraph 2nd sentence. With most group policies they are not portable, which means you can’t take your insurance with you if you leave your job whether it be voluntarily or involuntarily. So it is always good to purchase insurance protection at your job that is portable and also another couple of reasons is because it is typically less expensive because you get a group or discounted rate and the policies are simplified issue (no physical exams and blood/urine tests required).
Bristol, Tennessee
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Medicare Part A provides benefits for SNF if certain requirements are met.
For many years facilities would apply the "Improvement Standard" however in Jimmo v Sebelius that changed. Medicare will cover skilled care provided in a skilled nursing facility, at home, or as outpatient therapy, regardless of whether a patient is likely to improve as long as they continue to meet qualifying criteria.
Medicare's coverage of a skilled nursing facilty stay is limited to a maximum of 100 days per benefit period.
The benefit period can sometimes be referred to as a spell of illness.
There is no limit to the number of benefit periods available to Medicare Beneficiaries. However, once a benefit period ends a beneficiary must have another three-day qualifying inpatient hospital state and meet the other requirements noted earlier before they can get another 100 days of SNF benefits.
If a person is released or no longer needs SNF but then later requires the SNF care again:
Medicare Part A does have a deductible that must be paid for any hospital admission and those rates can change from year to year. You can visit cms.gov to check the current Medicare Part A deductible.
Medicare pays for the first 20 days of skilled nursing facility care, with no deductible or coinsurance. However, the patient is responsible for daily co-payments after the twentieth day. For 2023, the daily SNF co-payment was $200 for days 21 through 100. After 100 days in a benefit period, the beneficiary must pay all costs.
Medicare Supplement plans, Medicare Advantage Plans, or Supplemental Hospitalization plans can help reduce these costs if you have one of those plans for an additional monthly premium.
Medicare will pay for home health care if a person meets certain eligibility criteria and if the services are considered resaonable and necessary for the treatment of the person's illness or injury.
Medicare covers home health care; it does not cover home care when personal care is the only type of care needed.
To receive Medicare-covered home healthcare benefits, a person must be eligible for and enrolled in Part A and/or Part B. The following requirements must also be met:
Home Health Aide Services:
Medical Social Services - Ordered by a doctor to help a person with various social and emotional concerns related to an illness that may interfere with the person's treatment or recovery.
Physical, Speech-Language, and Occupational Therapy - If ordered by a doctor.
Excluded Services:
There is no limit to the length of time that a person can receive home healthcare benefits. Once a person meets the initial qualifying criteria.
Recertification is required at least every 60 days when the patient needs continuing home healthcare.
Begining in 2019, CMS expanded the definitional scope of "supplemental benefits" that Medicare Advantage plans can offer. But all Medicare Advantage plans are not same as they may have different rules, costs, and restrictions on services but required to provide at least the same level of coverage as Original Medicare (Part A & B).
Additional Services that may be included with your Medicare Advantage plan:
Adult Day Care Services - services provided outside the home, such as assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living.
In-Home Support Services - services performed by a personal care attendance to assist disabled ormedically needy individuals with ADL's.
Home- Based Palliative Care - services not covered by Medicare in the home for palliative care ("comfort care") to diminish symptoms of a terminally ill enrollee with life expectancy of more than six months.
Transportation for (nonemergency) Medical Services - transportation to obtain Part A, Part B, Part D, and supplemental benefit items and services. It can not be used for non-medical services such as groceries and errand.
Home Safety Devices and Modification - safety devices to prevent injuries in the home an/or bathroom.
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