If you suspect, smell, think and/or worry about if you might have the early signs of dementia, mild cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s - and you want a doctor to confirm or deny your suspicions because you hope some doctor or researcher might be able to delay, and/or cure you suspicion -  please consider first applying for long term care insurance before you go to the doctor. Begin this process at least a couple of months before you go to the doctor, so you can apply for three or four long term insurance polices and complete the application process before you go to the doctor. You will probably be rejected by some of them and they won’t tell you why so apply for a bunch of them and then you decide which one(s) you want to accept.

Insurance is a bet. You bet you might get something and need a certain type of insurance. They bet you won’t get it and will just get to keep your premium. Most long term care applications ask if you have ever been told by a physician you have dementia? If you have ever taken any medication for Alzheimer’s or dementia? Just the word “dementia” can be a reason for you to be rejected for this insurance. Just a musing on your chart by your doctor “check to see if he/she may or or may not have some form of dementia” is a reason to scare most all long term care insurers away from you.

In reality they are in business to insure against things that won’t happen, or if they do,  they won’t qualify under your policy. This is not a savings plan for you, this is a profit plan for them. They have figured out ways to insure themselves against the very risks they claim they are protecting you from. They sometimes require that you not be covered for something for which you bought the insurance in the first place.

This is not legal advice. Don’t seek to defraud your prospective insurance agent. However, realize realize they made up the rules. Follow the rules, but wait until you are good and most important ready.

~Richard