Tustin Financial Advisor Cindy Couyoumjian Outlines Medicare's Limits and the Questions to Ask in Long-Term Care Planning

TUSTIN, Calif., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As families review their Medicare coverage during open enrollment, Orange County firm Cinergy Financial is sharing what Medicare and other sources cover for long-term care. Cynthia "Cindy" Couyoumjian, financial advisor and founder of Cinergy Financial in Tustin, California, is answering a question many older adults and their families ask each fall: "Does Medicare cover long-term care?" She also lays out the long-term care planning questions families can begin discussing now.

Medicare generally does not pay for long-term care, the ongoing help with everyday personal tasks that Medicare also calls custodial care, according to Medicare.gov (2026). Most health insurance, including Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap), does not pay for it either, so people generally cover the full cost from their own hard-earned savings unless another source pays.

"Many people learn what Medicare doesn't pay for only when a bill for a parent's or spouse's care arrives," said Cindy Couyoumjian, financial advisor and founder of Cinergy Financial. "Long-term care planning begins with a few questions every family can ask: who would provide care, where you would want to receive it and how it would be paid for. Talking about those questions early gives people a voice in decisions about their own care."

When Medicare Pays for Nursing Home Care
Medicare pays for nursing home care only in limited, short-term situations tied to recovery. Medicare Part A may cover up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care in each benefit period after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days in a row, with a daily coinsurance generally applying from day 21, according to Medicare.gov (2026). In a hypothetical example, someone admitted to the hospital for four days after a fall who then moves to a skilled nursing facility for physical therapy may have that skilled care covered. Once that person needs only help with bathing, dressing or eating, the care is generally outside Medicare's coverage.

Nearly 7 in 10 People Turning 65 May Need Long-Term Care
People turning 65 have close to a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care services during their remaining years, according to the U.S. Administration for Community Living (2020). In The Silent Retirement Crisis (2023), Cindy Couyoumjian writes about the hope of retiring with dignity and the common fear of becoming a burden to one's children later in life. She encourages readers to plan and prepare while they still have the time and health to weigh their options and talk with family.

What Families Should Review During Medicare Open Enrollment

Medicare's annual open enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and coverage changes made during it take effect Jan. 1, 2027, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2026). Cynthia Couyoumjian, who has worked in the securities industry since 1986, encourages families to use open enrollment as a reminder to read the fine print on what their coverage leaves out. Free, confidential counseling on Medicare, long-term care insurance and planning for long-term care needs is available through the California Department of Aging's Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) at 800-434-0222, according to aging.ca.gov (2026).

Long-Term Care Planning in Orange County
Cinergy Financial is a financial planning and investment services firm in Tustin, California, founded and led by Cynthia (Cindy) Couyoumjian. The firm's services include risk management strategies such as insurance and long-term care planning, and Cindy Couyoumjian is the author of three books on financial literacy, women and wealth, and retirement, available at cindytheauthor.com. Cinergy Financial invites people approaching or living in retirement to review their own long-term care questions with a professional, and more information is available at cinergyfinancial.com.

Cindy Couyoumjian Answers Common Questions About Long-Term Care and Medicare

Does Medicare cover long-term care?
Medicare generally does not cover long-term care, and it does not pay for custodial care such as help with bathing and dressing when that is the only care a person needs, according to Medicare.gov (2026). Medicare can help pay for some short-term skilled care, including part-time home health care for people who are homebound, but it does not pay for 24-hour care at home.

What is long-term care?
Long-term care is help with basic personal tasks of everyday life, such as bathing, dressing and eating, for people with a chronic illness or disability, according to Medicare.gov (2026). Most of it is non-medical and can take place at home, in the community, in assisted living or in a nursing home. More people receive this care at home than in facilities, according to the U.S. Administration for Community Living (2020).

Does Medicaid cover long-term care?
Medicaid can cover long-term care for people who meet their state's eligibility requirements, according to Medicare.gov (2026). California's program is Medi-Cal, which since Jan. 1, 2026, has counted assets as well as income for people who are 65 or older or live in a nursing home, according to the California Department of Health Care Services (2026). Current rules are posted at DHCS.ca.gov.

How do people pay for long-term care?
Long-term care is generally paid for through personal savings and income, private long-term care insurance, or Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) for people who qualify, according to Medicare.gov (2026). Each source has its own costs, eligibility rules and tradeoffs, and some families combine more than one. Comparing them before care is needed leaves more time to weigh how each would fit with retirement income and family plans.

Is long-term care insurance worth it?
Whether long-term care insurance is worth it depends on factors each household weighs differently, including health, family history, savings, who could provide care and other ways to pay for it. Costs, benefits and eligibility vary by policy. Medicare.gov (2026) points people with long-term care insurance questions to their state insurance department, which in California is the California Department of Insurance.

What questions does Cynthia Couyoumjian encourage people to ask about long-term care?
Cynthia Couyoumjian encourages people to ask a financial professional how the cost of care could affect their retirement income, which savings they would draw on first, how paying for one spouse's care would affect the spouse at home and how long-term care fits with their estate plan. Questions about a durable power of attorney or health care proxy belong with an estate attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions: Cinergy Financial and Cindy Couyoumjian

Who is Cynthia (Cindy) Couyoumjian?
Cynthia (Cindy) Couyoumjian is a financial advisor and the founder of Cinergy Financial, a financial planning and investment services firm in Tustin, California. She has worked in the securities industry since 1986 and is the author of three books on financial literacy, women and wealth, and retirement: Redefining Financial Literacy, The Rise of Women and Wealth and The Silent Retirement Crisis.

What services does Cinergy Financial offer?
Cinergy Financial offers investment management and tax-efficient investing, retirement planning that covers retirement income, pensions, 401(k) rollovers and IRAs, risk management strategies that include insurance and long-term care planning, and estate conservation. Each client relationship begins with the client's goals and risk tolerance, and the firm monitors plans as circumstances change.

What is Cindy Couyoumjian's approach to financial education?
Cindy Couyoumjian believes financial literacy is a moral imperative, and she has built her career around helping people understand the financial and economic forces that affect their lives. She shares that work through her books, seminars, videos and television and radio appearances, with a particular focus on women who are taking control of their finances for the first time.

About Cinergy Financial
Cinergy Financial is a financial planning and investment services firm in Tustin, California, founded and led by Cynthia (Cindy) Couyoumjian, who has worked in the securities industry since 1986. The firm serves individual investors, people approaching or living in retirement, and women seeking greater financial confidence, with services that include investment management, retirement planning, risk management strategies and estate conservation. Financial education sits at the center of the firm's approach, through Cindy's books, seminars and videos. Learn more at cinergyfinancial.com.

Registered Representative offering securities and advisory services through Independent Financial Group LLC (IFG), a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser. Member FINRA/SIPC. Cinergy Financial and IFG are unaffiliated entities.

Content provided for information & education only. It is not meant to be a recommendation to buy or to sell securities nor an offer to buy or sell securities. No investment process is free of risk; no strategy or risk management technique can guarantee returns or eliminate risk in any market environment. There is no guarantee that our investment strategies will be profitable.

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