Long-Term Care Planning in Three Way

Start with the care decision

Before comparing ways to pay, write down the care arrangements you would consider and the questions that matter most to you. For example, you might compare receiving support at home with moving to another care setting, while noting which preferences, practical concerns, and uncertainties should guide the discussion.

Separate preferences from decisions that require more information. A plan can record what you want people to consider without assuming that a particular care arrangement, insurance policy, or public program will be available.

Compare authority and existing resources

Review who could act, what each person or document authorizes, and where the relevant information can be found. A financial power of attorney authorizes another person to act on someone’s behalf, but its scope, duration, and limits matter. A healthcare power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive address healthcare decision-making and preferences; they are not interchangeable with financial authority.

CFPB describes distinct roles for agents under powers of attorney, court-appointed guardians or conservators, trustees, and government-appointed benefit fiduciaries. Identify the actual document and role rather than assuming one person or role can handle every decision. Also gather current information about insurance and other resources for discussion; do not treat an estimate as a coverage decision.

• List each relevant person, their role, and the document or appointment that establishes that role.
• Collect available insurance information, policy or account contacts, and notes on care preferences.
• Note where important documents are kept and who may need access to them.

Make a coordination sheet

A useful starting tool is a one-page care coordination sheet. Include preferred and less-preferred care arrangements, the people to contact, the location of financial and healthcare documents, insurance information to verify, and questions that remain open. Keep separate entries for financial authority and healthcare authority so that a family member is not assumed to have powers that a document does not provide.

Tennessee’s Advance Directive for Health Care form addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences, and includes instructions concerning signing and sharing copies. Review the form and your existing documents together; do not assume a form alone answers every planning question.

Treat TennCare as a question to investigate

TennCare CHOICES is a Tennessee long-term-services-and-supports program. Both medical and financial requirements apply. Whether it may be relevant to your circumstances is a question to explore, not a guaranteed source of funding or a substitute for comparing care preferences, decision authority, insurance, and other resources.

Bring the coordination sheet and available records to a planning conversation. Ask what additional information is needed to assess the care options you are considering, how your existing documents address financial and healthcare decisions, and what should be verified before relying on any insurance or program information. Dale Law Group, PLLC, offers long-term care planning and Medicaid planning.