How must long-term care policies treat home health care compared to nursing home care?

Long-term care policies are designed to provide benefits for a variety of care settings, including home health care and nursing home care. Under these policies, it is required that home health care benefits are paid at the same daily amount as nursing home care. This ensures that individuals have equitable access to different types of care, encouraging them to choose home care if that aligns better with their preferences or needs.

The standardization of benefit amounts for both types of care is particularly important in long-term care insurance, as it reflects the intention to support policyholders in receiving care in the most appropriate setting without financial penalties. By having the same daily benefit amount, policyholders are incentivized to opt for home-based care, which can often lead to better health outcomes and increased satisfaction compared to institutional care.

This alignment focuses on the overarching goal of long-term care insurance, which is to provide comprehensive support that is not biased towards one type of care over another.