Sales pitches and their catches

To sell you on long-term-care insurance, agents may play fast and loose with the facts. These pitches are drawn from an insurance-industry publication and interviews with agents.

The pitch: You need to buy long-term-care insurance when you are young. More than 40 percent of people who need long-term care are under age 65.

The catch: Only 159,000 of the 238 million people under age 65, or less than 1 percent, receive nursing-home care.

The pitch: There is nearly a 50 percent chance that a person will require 24-hour care in a skilled-nursing facility.

The catch: One percent of those ages 65 to 74 live in a nursing home, 4 percent of 75- to 84-year-olds, and 19 percent of those age 85 and older.

The pitch: If you are over age 65, you don’t need inflation protection.

The catch: According to the most recently published figures, the average age of admission to a nursing home is 83, and costs are expected to rise more than 5 percent a year. At age 65, you face 18 more years of inflation.

The pitch: You’ll get into a better nursing home if you have insurance.

The catch: While some nursing homes may prefer to take residents who do not have to rely on Medicaid, there is no guarantee that those homes provide better care. To check on any nursing facility you are considering, visit the Consumers Union Center for Consumer Health Choices Web site at www.consumersunion.org/health/nursing-rpt603.htm.