Find Doctors and Medical Facilities
Find tools to help you choose doctors, hospitals, and health care facilities. Learn about options for long term care services and questions to ask before buying long term care insurance.
Find Doctors, Hospitals, and Health Care Facilities
Finding a doctor you trust or a hospital that fits your needs can be hard. Here are some tips and resources to help you choose:
Check Doctor Accreditations
Before making an appointment, learn about a doctor’s credentials.
Check Hospitals and Other Health Care Facilities
Get Help with Lowering Health Care Costs
Find resources about long-term care services, common long-term care insurance questions, and how to complain about long-term care.
Learn About Long-Term Care (LTC)
Long-term care (LTC) is a variety of services that include medical and non-medical care for people who have chronic illnesses or disabilities.
If you are thinking about long-term care needs for yourself or your loved one, these resources can help:
Long-Term Care Insurance
Most health insurance plans and Medicare severely limit or exclude long-term care. If you want coverage, you may need a separate long-term care insurance policy. Learn more about the long-term care insurance. You should consider the cost of long-term care insurance as you plan for retirement.
These questions can help you evaluate long-term care insurance policies.
- What qualifies you for benefits? Some insurers say you must be unable to perform a specific number of the following activities of daily living: eating, walking, getting from bed to a chair, dressing, bathing, using a toilet, and remaining continent.
- What type of care is covered? Does the policy cover nursing home care? What about coverage for assisted living facilities that provide less client care than a nursing home? If you want to stay in your home, will it pay for care provided by visiting nurses and therapists? What about help with food preparation and housecleaning?
- What will the benefits amount be? Most plans are written to provide a specific dollar benefit per day. The benefit for home care is usually about half the nursing-home benefit. But some policies pay the same for both forms of care. Other plans pay only for your actual expenses.
- What is the benefits period? It is possible to get a policy with lifetime benefits but this can be very expensive. Other options for coverage are from one to six years. The average nursing home stay is about 2.5 years.
- Is the benefit adjusted for inflation? If you buy a policy prior to age 60, you face the risk that a fixed daily benefit will not be enough by the time you need it.
- Is there a waiting period before benefits begin? A 20 to 100 day period is not unusual.
Complaints about Long-Term Care
To report an emergency where there is immediate danger, call 911 or contact your local authorities.
If you have a complaint about a long-term-care facility, reach out to the National Long-Term Care Resource Center to find a state's long-term care ombudsman program.
If you have an elder abuse complaint, contact your long-term ombudsman or local elder abuse resources.
Health Benefits for Veterans
If you served in the military, you may be eligible for veterans health benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) runs the program.
Benefits include:
Find VA Medical Facilities
When you sign up for VA health benefits, you'll pick one VA location for your regular care. The VA may refer you to other locations for specialty care.
Use the VA facility locator to find VA medical centers, clinics, and vet centers.
Check Your Eligibility
You may qualify for VA health benefits if:
Learn more about veterans health care eligibility to see if you qualify.
Apply for Medical Benefits
You can apply for VA medical benefits online, by phone, mail, or in person. The VA will make its decision within one week.
Manage Your Care with My HealtheVet
Use the My HealtheVet website to:
Order prescription refills
Schedule appointments
Send secure messages to your VA health care team
View lab and test results
View, download, and print your medical records
Do you have a question?
Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They'll get you the answer or let you know where to find it.
Last Updated:
April 23, 2019
