In a recent report, the SCAN Foundation asserts that a majority of California residents are in support of the idea of setting up a government-run, long-term care finance program. The foundation is affiliated with a nonprofit insurer, which provides Medicare coverage, including coverage for long-term care services. Its president, Bruce Chernof, is the chair of the newly formed Federal Commission on Long-Term Care. The foundation, created by SCAN Health Plan, conducted a telephone survey of 1,019 adults, ages 40 and older. All 386 of the participants are California residents.
According to the survey results, 66% of California residents said that they were in favor of setting up a Medicare-like, government-administered, long-term care program. Forty-three percent said that they “strongly support” the idea. Specifically, the survey participants were asked whether they would favor “a government-administered, long-term care insurance program, similar to Medicare” that would “help Americans prepare for costs of ongoing living assistance.” Regardless of where survey participants lived, 51% overall were in support of the program and 30% said they “strongly support” the idea. A separate survey question, asking whether participants support “tax breaks to encourage saving for ongoing living assistance expenses,” received support from 77% of overall participants and 84% of California residents.
Planning for long-term care costs is an important part of creating your California estate plan. Contact the experienced Orange County estate planning attorneys at the Law Office of James F. Roberts & Associates, APC for more information and guidance about creating an estate plan. Call our office today at (714) 282-7488.