The perfect storm of aging is brewing and coming with it is a health care tsunami. The 80 million or so baby-boom generation is making history, not just because of their numbers but because of their impact on health care. People are living longer than ever before and the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population is over 80. This leads to a one-two punch of increased financial risk that you face over time. This financial risk is the cost of long term health care. You might just live to 100 but doing so may cost you dearly.

Why am I telling you this?

I tell you this because you are in danger and don't even know it. You are in the deep end of the financial pool, where you can drown, and you don't even know it. In reality, seven out of 10 couples will experience a long term care need in their lifetime and most of them will have to pay for care out of their own pockets. Reason number one as to why you need to understand more about long term health care insurance and the main reason you don't. The sad truth is you are most likely in denial.

There is no magic genie in a bottle that is going to rescue you. The fact of the matter is you will by paying for the costs that come with aging yourself. With outlays running as high as $70,000 a year in 2008 this is nothing to take lightly.

This is more denial and another reason to seriously look at long term care insurance and getting educated about your choices?

One day in the future long term health care insurance will be as typical as automotive or life insurance but for the here and now it's an unusual idea. It is also an idea no one wants - after all who wants to imagine they're ever going to need health care assistance. The denial of needing care is thick and lasting.

I bet right now, if I asked you "who do you know who has a long term care need" you could probably come up with a name or two. As for me I can name several. My father who was in a nursing home for 8 months; my Aunt who is in the last stages of Alzheimer's, my other Aunt who has been diagnosed with Vascular Dementia or Parkinson's (they aren't quite sure). If I had asked each of them "will you have a long term care need in your lifetime?" they would have said no. Another reason you don't have long term care insurance - you deny this is ever going to be your story. The truth is you can't predict the future.

You may never have a long term care need but in reality seven out of 10 couples do. My father did and my mother hasn't. My Aunt's have but my Uncle's haven't. This is denial reason number four. You take it for granted that everything is a-okay and will stay that way. The reality is that when a spouse gets sick the other has to start writing the checks and while one bottoms out physically the other bottoms out financially.

I can hear your thoughts - but the government will be helping me; they'll pay for everything. Yeah, right. The government is slowly bankrupting itself as it is. With over 80 million baby boomer's headed for retirement the social services are going to be strained on every level, state, federal, county. Furthermore government programs, and Medicare in particular, are not designed to help with the cost of long term care needs. Medicare has lifetime caps, required co-pays and a limited number of extended care days. If it does pay for long term care you have to be in need of skilled care. Who's really paying the bill? Medicaid. What is Medicaid? It is medical welfare. How do you get it? You qualify through poverty. You spend your money until you qualify. Reason number five: you deny your risk of entering poverty in order to qualify for government help. Ouch!

Oh, I can hear your thoughts - but my kids will take care of me. Are you aware that as of 2008 the money and time lost to care giving is more than 80 billion dollars a year? By denying the risks and costs of aging you are throwing the weight of consequence on your children, their jobs and their lifestyle. This is not a solution this is denial and reason number six..

The last reason you don't have long term health care insurance is because you don't care enough about yourself. Your denial is so thick and pervasive that you haven't fully planned out this equation. Long term health care insurance may or may not be the solution for you but you owe it to yourself and your family to become educated about the financial health care risk you are facing; financial risks that can literally wipe you out. Get educated today so you don't become a statistic tomorrow.