On Monday, October 24, 2005, Hurricane Wilma caught many Floridians by surprise. Strengthening when it was supposed to weaken, Wilma brought gusts of wind up to 123 mph and several inches of rain. Six million people were affected when a record 3.2 million homes and businesses lost power and many lost water service as well. Mobile homes disintegrated, hospitals were evacuated and a sinkhole even opened up in Interstate 95. The most severe storm in half a century in Broward County, Wilma took the lives of 25 people statewide.

If a storm warning were issued today, and they said there was a 70 percent chance of a hurricane of similar magnitude, what would you do? Would you sit back and relax? Most likely you would make preparations to protect your family and property.

There is another area of life with the same probabilities, but most people respond differently. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, someone turning 65 today has almost a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care services in their remaining years. However, with over 41 million Americans over age 65 in 2012, only 8.1 million people of any age had long-term care insurance. When it comes to hurricanes, some people have to live through one in order to take the warnings seriously. Unfortunately, usually with long-term care you only get one chance.

Does everyone really need long-term care insurance, though? Can't someone with a few hundred thousand saved pay out of pocket and be just fine? Long-term care can be much more expensive than many people realize.

LONG-TERM CARE COSTS IN FLORIDA

The most basic component of long-term care is homemaker services. This is needed when you are no longer able to perform day-to-day household duties like housekeeping, laundry, grocery shopping and meal preparation. Here in Florida, this costs $10-$29 an hour, averaging out at $41,184 a year. A higher level of in-home care is home health aide services, which average $43,472 a year in our state. Sixty-five percent of people need home care for an average of two years. For many people who saved and invested well during their working years, a cost of just under $90,000 for two years of home care may sound affordable. However, 37 percent of people must leave their home and be cared for in a facility.

Once you leave home, the cost of long-term care sky-rockets. The rate for a single occupancy one-bedroom unit in an assisted living facility averages $37,800 a year in Florida. However, there is a very broad range of prices, and it can cost up to triple that. Nursing homes are much more expensive than assisted living facilities because of the level of care provided. A semi-private room in a nursing home averages $87,600 a year and a private room is $96,725.

Statistics show that 20 percent of 65-year-olds will need over five years of long-term care support. Now, if all you need are homemaker services that will cost you about $206,000. But, if you need to be in a nursing home and you'd like a private room, you're looking at a bill of over $480,000.

SHOULD I BUY LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE?

When deciding if you need long-term care insurance, you need to know how much wealth you have and how much you would be willing to spend on care, look at the statistics and address your family health history. For example, if you have family members who have suffered from Alzheimer's or dementia, you may be at a higher risk which would most likely involve spending several years in an assisted living facility or nursing home.

As with any insurance, long-term care insurance protects you against an unsure future. None of us knows what the future holds; once we know for certain it will be too late. It is important to have a long-term care strategy and a plan in place before you need it.

Tom Breiter is president of Breiter Capital Management, Inc., an Anna Maria based investment advisor. He can be reached at 778-1900. Some of the investment concepts highlighted in this column may carry the risk of loss of principal, and investors should determine appropriateness for their personal situation before investing. Visit www.breitercapital.com.