Why Choose?
by Jeff Levin
Mr. Levin is Vice President of Sales, Care Solutions at OneAmerica. Please visit https://www.oneamerica.com/.For years, long-term care planning forced advisors and clients into an unnecessary either/or decision: indemnity or reimbursement. Each option has strengths, but each also brings tradeoffs—simplicity versus precision, flexibility versus structure.
Yet a bigger question often gets overlooked: What happens when care is actually needed?
The old debate shouldn’t drive decisions anymore. Clients can’t predict what their care journey will look like decades later, and they shouldn’t have to commit to a single benefit philosophy upfront.
Moving Beyond The Indemnity vs. Reimbursement Debate
Reimbursement benefits align payouts directly to documented expenses—ideal for clients who want a tight connection between costs and benefits. Indemnity benefits provide a predictable monthly amount once a claim is approved—regardless of actual expenses—offering simplicity and freedom when care needs don’t fit traditional categories.
Tax treatment varies significantly between the two, which historically forced a compromise. But hybrid LTC solutions have expanded what’s possible. Today, more flexible product designs allow advisors to tailor coverage to individual needs—an approach we emphasize, and one many carriers across the industry are embracing.
Because one truth remains: longterm care needs are never static.
RealLife Care Isn’t OneSizeFitsAll
Care journeys evolve. A client may start with agency provided home care, shift to family support, and later transition into facility-based care. Expenses often include items that don’t show up neatly on a receipt—home modifications, transportation, informal caregiving, or emerging technology like sensors and monitoring tools.
Flexible benefits help advisors shift the focus away from product mechanics and toward outcomes—preserving independence, protecting assets, and allowing clients to receive care on their terms.
But flexibility alone isn’t enough.
The Moment Of Truth
The real test of any LTC solution comes when care begins. These moments are marked by uncertainty—a diagnosis, a sudden health event, a change in family roles. People are navigating unfamiliar territory while managing work, emotions, and caregiving responsibilities.
At that moment, coverage isn’t enough. Families need clarity, guidance, and someone who understands both the policy and the reality of longterm care. And because care may begin 20–30 years after a policy is purchased, the support model must adapt to a world the client couldn’t have imagined at issue.
Experience Matters In Claims Support
Clients shouldn’t be expected to manage a complex claims process alone. In addition to benefit flexibility, they need a partner who will walk alongside them from the first day of a claim through the last.
We offer a Claims Concierge service—an approach rooted in listening, empathy, and recognizing that no two care journeys are the same. Across the industry, we’re seeing continued innovation in claims support, and that progress is essential to delivering on the promise of longterm care.
A Guide, Not Just A Process
Concierges streamline the administrative work while focusing on what families truly need: guidance, reassurance, and support during a major life transition. By reducing friction and stress, we help families focus on what matters most—care, connection, and wellbeing.
Confidence From Planning Through Claim
For clients, this means peace of mind—knowing not only that they have coverage, but that they’ll be supported when it matters most. For advisors, it reinforces a key promise: the solution they recommend doesn’t end at issue. It’s backed by experienced professionals committed to walking with clients through every stage of their care journey.
Because the right longterm care solution isn’t just about how benefits are paid. It’s about how people are supported—when it matters most.
does not clearly guide one which option is better for what type of client?