Why it is worth checking whether long-term care insurance exists through a workplace, a works committee, a professional organisation or a pension fund: how to locate such a cover, what happens when you leave the job, and what to check in the terms.
The cover nobody remembers
When a family looks for long-term care insurance, it checks two places: the health fund and private insurance companies. There is a third place that is almost always forgotten — the workplace.
Over the years, works committees, professional organisations, further-education funds and other bodies have bought group covers for their members, and sometimes long-term care cover among them.
The employee themselves usually does not remember. They joined thirty years ago, the contribution was quietly deducted from their salary, and nobody thought about it again. But the cover may still be relevant.
Where to look
Searching for a cover like this takes a little detective work, but it is usually not complicated. These are the places worth checking.
- Old payslips — deductions for group insurance
- Approaching the works committee or the relevant professional organisation
- Documents from the pension fund or the further-education fund
- Employment contracts and collective agreements that applied to the insured person
- A check on the Insurance Mountain, which may show group covers too
- Approaching the human resources department of the former workplace
What happens when you leave the job
This is the central question, and the answer depends on the terms of the arrangement. In some cases the cover ends when the employment ends. In others there is an option of individual continuation — that is, continuing the cover with the employee paying themselves.
There are also situations in which the employee carried on paying without noticing, for example through a standing order, and so the cover was preserved.
So it is worth checking not only whether there was a cover, but also what became of it. Approaching the insuring body with the insured person's details and the relevant period will give the answer.
What to check in the terms
If such a cover comes to light, it is examined exactly like any other policy. The questions are the same.
What the definition of the insured event is, what the waiting period is, what the amount of the benefit and the length of payment are, and whether it is a fixed benefit or indemnity.
A particular point with group covers: the terms of the arrangement may change between periods, and it is sometimes important to know which version applied at the relevant date. That is a question worth asking explicitly.
And when several covers come to light
It is not unusual for a family to discover a cover through work in addition to a cover through the health fund, and sometimes a private policy as well.
In that situation you build a comparison table: who the insurer is, what the definition is, what the waiting period is, what type of benefit it provides and how long payment lasts. Only after that mapping do you decide how to file and with which body.
It is important to remember that having several covers does not guarantee several payments. Each is assessed on its own terms.
Frequently asked questions
Can there be long-term care insurance through the workplace?
Absolutely. Works committees, professional organisations and other bodies have bought group covers for their members over the years, sometimes including long-term care cover. It is a place almost always forgotten in the search.
How do you locate such a cover?
Check old payslips for deductions for group insurance, approach the works committee or the organisation, check pension or further-education fund documents, and search the Insurance Mountain.
What happens to the cover after leaving the workplace?
It depends on the terms of the arrangement. In some cases the cover ends, and in others there is an option of individual continuation with the employee paying. Sometimes the employee carried on paying without noticing and the cover was preserved.
What do we check when a cover through work comes to light?
Exactly as with any policy — the definition of the insured event, the waiting period, the amount of the benefit and the length of payment, and whether it is a fixed benefit or indemnity. With a group cover it is also important to establish which version applied in the relevant period.
Official sources for further checking
This is general information and does not replace personal medical, legal or insurance advice. Eligibility is determined by the documents and rules that apply to each case.
