Today, the world is quickly changing; medical care can be both impersonal and expensive.  But one area that has not changed with the times is traditional estate planning.  Traditional estate plans are designed to focus on just a couple of things and when creating them, most people tend to take the easy route.  Often times, people are in good health and think, “There’s nothing wrong with us now; we want our estate plan to be very simple.”  In those cases, their estate plans only really focus on who will get what when they die. The truth is, most of us are not going to die while we’re in good health.  As we venture into old age, many of us will, unfortunately, develop long-term illnesses and need specific care.  According to AARP, 70% of individuals aged 65 and older will spend part of their life living in a long term care facility.  The cost of long term care and Medicaid planning are probably not things that are included in the will or living trust you already have.  So shouldn’t we consider this when updating our estate plans? While the traditional estate plan details concerning who gets what when you die are important, it is equally, if not more important, to consider what could happen to you before you die.. -Anthony B. Ferraro