The
Long-Term Care System (LTC)
The Long-term Care system involves services
to meet the medical as well as non-medical needs of people who are suffering
from chronic illness or disability and became dependent on other people for the
long duration of time.
The health
insurance in India deals with short-term care benefits with no system for
long-term care. With the growing in dependency, culture of nuclear family and
single hood, it is an alarming situation to add LTC system with current health insurance in India. The huge
benefits of LTC will surely add a boom to the market of health insurance in India as it purely serves the customer.
There are various countries at the global
level that persist LTC insurance systems and if we look at most developed
economies like Germany, United Kingdom, Japan and the United States, they all
have a developed LTC system providing medical and non-medical benefits to its people.
By gaining knowledge of these developed LTC system there can also be a healthy
LTC system developed in health insurance of India.
LTC system In Germany
The LTC insurance is a mandatory activity
since 1995 in Germany where all the citizens have to take insurance for health
benefits and pensions. This LTC system is properly linked with health insurance
system of the country providing benefits as per contribution. Whatever is the
contribution the benefits are defined accordingly in Germany Under LTC system
of insurance. However, it is not possible to add the LTC system like Germany in
health insurance of India due to high population.
LTC system In Japan
In the LTC system of Japan, people get
benefits for Institutional as well as residential care needs involving medical
and non-medical benefits at social nursing homes, health insurance financed
homes, medical nursing institutions. The LTC system for providing health care
benefits in Japan is very simple and reliable. This LTC system can be adopted
for health insurance in India
because the process is simple involving benefits provided at required medical
places.
LTC system In United States
The private and public health insurance
companies offer the LTC insurance policies either for the limited period
starting from 5 years to remaining life years. But, the LTC insurance system in
the USA has two categories, one including nursing home care whereas other
including only coverage of residential care or home care, people can choose as
per their need. This flexible option in LTC insurance makes it more reliable to
be adopted for a system of health insurance in India.
These were some of the most successful LTC systems at global level that benefits citizen till the period of mortality. The long-term care system is successful in these economies from more than past 50 years. Therefore, it will surely benefit the citizens of the country if adopted for health insurance in India.
