ManhattanLife Short-Term Care Insurance Review

ManhattanLife Short-Term Care Insurance Plan Options

ManhattanLife offers an STC insurance plan known as OmniFlex for applicants between the ages of 45 and 89. It covers the care required if you need assistance with two or more ADLs, such as bathing, eating, and dressing. The standard OmniFlex plan (without any riders) covers the following types of care:

• Nursing home
• Nursing facilities
• Assisted living
• Hospice care
• Bed reservations*
• Prescription drugs**

* Up to 10 days’ reservation at a time, with a lifetime maximum of 20 days

** $10 benefit for generic drugs and $25 benefit for brand-name drugs, up to a yearly maximum of $300

OmniFlex Customization

You can customize your OmniFlex plan to fit your particular needs. First, you’ll need to decide the maximum daily benefit you want. ManhattanLife offers benefits ranging from $50 to $400. However, it’s important to consider that you will not receive the benefit you choose until your policy has aged for five years. For example, if you choose a $200 daily benefit, your policy will begin at a 50 percent benefit ($100 daily benefit) and increase each year proportionally until year five, when it reaches 100 percent of your chosen benefit.

Once you’ve chosen a benefit amount, you’ll need to choose the length of your plan’s waiting period. The waiting period refers to the number of days you’ll have to pay for your care before your STC insurance kicks in. ManhattanLife offers 0, 20, 60, and 90-day waiting periods.

All OmniFlex plans also come with a built-in waiting period waiver known as the Fast-50 Benefit. This allows you to get instant access to up to 50 percent of your maximum daily cash benefit for the first 50 days of care, regardless of the waiting period associated with your plan. This is a huge plus if you want to save on your premium by choosing a longer waiting period while also benefiting from a partial cash payout from day one of your care.

Finally, you’ll need to decide the length of your benefit period. Like most short-term care insurance plans, OmniFlex allows you to get coverage for up to one year of care (360 days). If you want to save on your premium or simply don’t expect to need a year’s worth of care at a time, you can choose a shorter benefit period of 90, 180, or 270 days. This period refers to the total number of consecutive days that you can receive covered care, with these benefit periods being restored after 180 days without care. It’s important to note that OmniFlex has a lifetime maximum equivalent to double your standard benefit period.

Pro Tip: Interested in long-term care coverage? Check out our guide to the best long-term care insurance to learn more!

OmniFlex is a good option for older adults who want to have greater control over the costs and benefits of their plans. ManhattanLife short-term care insurance is typically a good option for couples as well, since many couples can qualify for a 10 percent discount. It could also be ideal if you want to avoid costly waiting periods and start getting a portion of your cash benefit as soon as you require care.

Available Riders

OmniFlex offers various riders that can enhance the benefits of your plan, though each rider will increase your premium. Here are the current riders you can add to your OmniFlex plan:

• Home Health Care Rider: This rider pays a cash indemnity benefit if you want to recover from injury or illness in your own home. You can use these funds to pay a family member or other informal caregiver. Or you could put the money toward skilled nursing care or similar professional assistance at home.
• Hospital Indemnity Benefit Rider: This rider pays a daily benefit to help cover copays, deductibles, and any other miscellaneous costs associated with a hospital stay. You can enjoy this benefit regardless of any other kinds of hospital coverage you have (like Medicare or Medicaid). The Hospital Indemnity Benefit Rider has a lifetime maximum of 180 days.
• Simple Inflation Benefit Rider: With the inflation rider, your policy benefit will begin growing at a rate of 5 percent annually, beginning on the sixth anniversary of your policy’s start date. This rider will continue to increase the daily benefit until your selected daily benefit has doubled in value (up to a maximum of $400 per day).

ManhattanLife Short-Term Care Insurance Cost

On average, short-term care insurance plans cost less than comparable long-term care insurance policies. Additionally, ManhattanLife offers many customization options to lower the cost of your plan. While it’s difficult to compare STC insurance plans dollar for dollar, ManhattanLife may offer more competitive pricing than carriers like Aetna and MedAmerica, thanks in large part to the upfront adjustments you can make to your plan.

ManhattanLife does not offer online quotes for an OmniFlex policy. The only way to know the cost of a plan in your location is to contact ManhattanLife directly and begin the application process. According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, a 65-year-old can expect to pay somewhere between $63 and $125 per month for a short-term care insurance plan.2

If you want to save even more with ManhattanLife, you can sign up for a policy with your spouse. As long as you live with a legal spouse and you both have a ManhattanLife short-term care policy, you can qualify for a 10 percent discount on your monthly premium.

Underwriting

Short-term care insurance plans generally have more flexible underwriting than long-term care plans, and OmniFlex is no exception. ManhattanLife uses simplified issue underwriting, which means that you may just have to answer a few questions on a form to be approved for a policy.

Plus, anyone between the ages of 45 and 89 can apply, with relatively few restrictions related to preexisting conditions. Depending on your medical history, age, and the information you provided on your application, you could get a decision in as little as 48 hours. If ManhattanLife has additional questions about your medical history, it may request a follow-up phone interview, which could delay the process by a few days or weeks.

ManhattanLife Customer Satisfaction

ManhattanLife generally receives average ratings for its financial stability and trustworthiness as a business. Here are some of the most relevant ratings to consider:

• AM Best: B++ (good finances)
• National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC): 0.01 (very few complaints)
• Better Business Bureau (BBB): A+ (high trustworthiness and performance)

It’s also important to consider ratings and reviews that come directly from consumers. On BBB, ManhattanLife currently holds a score of 3.75 out of 5. This is considerably higher than many other STC insurance carriers, including Medico, which currently holds a rating of 1.8 out of 5.

Final Thoughts

ManhattanLife is a quality provider of short-term care insurance. If you and your spouse have an STC policy with ManhattanLife, you could save up to 10 percent on your premium. And with dozens of ways to customize your plan period and benefits, you can create coverage that makes sense for you. The Fast-50 Benefit also makes it easier to access a portion of your cash benefit without having to wait. However, if you anticipate substantial costs in the near future, you’ll have to wait five years to use 100 percent of your OmniFlex daily cash benefits.

Our Methodology

When evaluating the quality of STC carriers, we focus on the benefits a carrier or plan offers. We look at pricing, coverage, optional offerings, and long-term value. Ultimately, a short-term care insurance policy should help reduce financial stress if you require care in the near or distant future, with a lower premium and shorter waiting period than a long-term care plan. If a plan offers solid coverage at a fair price, we believe it’s a good option.