As people get older, the need for health care obviously increases. But a new article by USA Today poses the question of whether or not senior citizens not only need regular health care insurance, but long-term health care insurance.

Statistics show that a majority of elderly people either need or will need some type of assistance once they reach a certain age. According to USA Today, that magic number is 65, as studies show that seven out of ten people that age or older need some type of long-term health care at some point. With that being the case, the option of long term-health care insurance has gone from something that financial advisers were previously not so high on, to something that they are now looking at as a viable option for many households and families.

Like most things, the big question when it comes to long-term health care insurance is the cost. Providing long-term health care, which can be in-home care or in an institution such as a nursing home, is not a cheap option, and a lot of the times, it isn’t an affordable option for a lot of families. But companies are now beginning to figure out ways in which they can make long-term health insurance a more realistic option for those that need it.

Another deciding factor into whether or not a family decides to invest in long-term health care is the circumstances surrounding an individual family. For instance, if an elderly person or couple has children that want to and are willing to take care of them, then the option of long-term health insurance might not be necessary because the children are already fulfilling the duties that a nurse or health care professional might do. But if a person or couple either does not have children, or has children that do not want to take care of them, then the option becomes more realistic.

Ultimately in a lot instances, money is the final decision maker. It costs a pretty penny to afford long-term care, and as mentioned earlier, many people can’t afford it. But creating a dialogue to discuss long-term health insurance might be a way of making it a more feasible option for those that need it.