Thrivent Financial, a fraternal organization with a history dating back to 1902, offers comprehensive long-term care (LTC) insurance plans designed to provide financial support for those needing extended care due to aging, illness, or disability.
Their LTC policies aim to cover various settings and services, ensuring policyholders can maintain their desired level of independence and quality of life.
Coverage Options
Thrivent’s LTC insurance provides coverage for a range of care settings, including:
Home Care: Support for in-home services to help individuals remain in their own homes.
Assisted Living Facilities: Coverage for living arrangements that offer personal care services.
Nursing Homes: Payment for skilled nursing care in a residential facility.
Adult Day Care: Financial support for daytime care services.
Hospice Care: Coverage for end-of-life care services.
These policies also offer benefits for equipment and home modifications, caregiver training, respite care, and international care, ensuring flexibility and comprehensive support (Thrivent.com) (Breeze).
Key Features and Benefits
Care Coordination Services: Thrivent provides care coordination through a professional care manager who helps develop and monitor a personalized long-term care plan (Breeze).
Elimination Periods: The policies typically have an elimination period (the waiting period before benefits start) of 30, 90, or 180 days. Notably, Thrivent offers an option for a 0-day elimination period for home care, which is particularly beneficial for those who prefer to receive care at home from the onset (LTC News).
Benefit Caps: Monthly benefits range from $1,500 to $15,000, with policyholders able to choose the benefit amount that best meets their needs. There are also lifetime benefit caps to consider when selecting a policy (Breeze) (LTC News).
Inflation Protection: Policyholders can opt for inflation protection, with options including 1%, 2%, 3%, and 5% compounded annually. This ensures that benefits keep pace with rising care costs over time (LTC News).
Premium Waiver: Thrivent waives premiums during the period when the insured is receiving benefits, alleviating financial pressure during times of need (Breeze).
Hybrid Policy: CareForward
In addition to traditional LTC policies, Thrivent offers CareForward, a hybrid policy that combines long-term care insurance with life insurance. This product provides a death benefit and allows for cash value accumulation, offering flexibility and financial security.
Eligibility and Payment Options: CareForward is available to individuals aged 18 to 75, with payment options including single lump sum, 10-year, 20-year, or pay-to-95 schedules. This hybrid option ensures that policyholders can balance their financial planning with immediate and long-term needs (Breeze).
Benefits Structure: The hybrid policy’s long-term care benefits are linked to the face amount of the life insurance. For example, a $200,000 face amount with a 4% monthly benefit provides up to $8,000 per month for long-term care. Policyholders can select multipliers for their lifetime benefits, ranging from 1x to 3x the face amount (LTC News).
Additional Riders: Thrivent’s hybrid policy includes optional riders such as a cash benefit rider, waiver of elimination period, survivorship benefit, return of premium, and shared care benefit. These riders add layers of customization, ensuring the policy fits the unique needs of each policyholder (LTC News).
Unique Aspects of Thrivent
Thrivent is unique in its structure as a fraternal organization, meaning it is member-owned and profits are reinvested to benefit its members and their communities. This structure impacts its participation in state guaranty associations, which provide a safety net if an insurer fails to meet its obligations. However, Thrivent maintains policy reserves to ensure it can meet future benefit obligations (Breeze).
Furthermore, Thrivent’s products are only available to Christians, reflecting its origins and mission rooted in Christian values. This membership criterion distinguishes it from other insurers and contributes to its community-focused approach (LTC News).
Conclusion
Thrivent’s long-term care insurance offers robust and flexible coverage options tailored to meet a variety of care needs. With its blend of traditional and hybrid policies, inflation protection, and additional riders, Thrivent provides policyholders with comprehensive tools to manage their long-term care planning effectively. The organization’s unique fraternal structure and focus on member benefits further enhance its appeal, particularly for those seeking insurance solutions aligned with their faith and community values.