CareMatters II vs CareMatters Together
Nationwide offers two hybrid long-term care insurance designs: individual policies (CareMatters II) and a shared couple policy (CareMatters Together). The right pick depends on health class, how you want the life insurance to pay, and whether two pools or one combined pool fits your plan.
Which Design Actually Wins?
Drew Nichols and Darrick Wilkins walk through Nationwide's two hybrid LTC designs, when a shared pool makes sense, and the trap families fall into when only one spouse qualifies for preferred health.
The Two Nationwide Designs
Same carrier, same cash-indemnity claim model, very different plumbing underneath. Here is what each design is actually doing with your premium.
CareMatters II — individual policies
One policy per spouse. Each policy is underwritten pass/fail and funds an independent LTC pool with its own monthly benefit, benefit period, and death benefit. If one spouse dies before using care, the life insurance passes to the survivor.
Typical design: 6-year benefit period per spouse, cash indemnity, retroactive day-91 payment, inflation rider.
CareMatters Together — shared pool
One policy covering both spouses, released in the summer of 2023. Combined premium funds a single shared benefit pool that either spouse can draw against — typically 96 months (8 years) at the couple level. Underwriting is Preferred or Standard, and the life insurance is second-to-die.
Typical design: 96-month shared benefit, cash indemnity, one combined monthly maximum, second-to-die death benefit.
A Worked Example — Same $100,000 Premium
Two 56-year-olds, married, funding a combined $100,000 — $50,000 each for the individual design, or $100,000 together for the shared design. Here is how the illustrations come out.
CareMatters Together · both preferred
Shared monthly benefit of roughly $2,983/month per person, both able to draw at the same time for up to about $6,000/month combined. Day-one total LTC pool around $318,000 shared between the two of them.
Upside: slightly more benefit per premium dollar when both qualify preferred.
Two individual hybrid policies
Each spouse has their own policy: husband around $3,000+/month, wife around $2,615/month, 6-year benefit period each. Each spouse has an independent LTC pool of about $200,000+.
Upside: two separate pools, and the life insurance pays to the surviving spouse at first death.
The health-class trap: if only one spouse misses preferred, CareMatters Together benefits drop sharply — the shared pool shrinks well below what two individual policies would have delivered for the same premium. Because CareMatters II is pass/fail, that same health profile does not take a haircut on the individual side.
Illustrative example from the video above. Your actual numbers depend on age, state, health class, and design choices — we will quote both side-by-side against your real inputs.
Feature-by-Feature
Where the two designs line up, and where they diverge enough to change who should buy which.
| Feature | CareMatters II (individual) | CareMatters Together (shared) |
|---|---|---|
| Policy structure | One policy per spouse | One shared policy covering the couple |
| Benefit period | Individual — commonly 6 years each | Shared — commonly 96 months (8 years) combined |
| Health classes | Pass / fail — one offer class | Preferred or Standard — Standard meaningfully reduces the benefit |
| Monthly benefit when both are preferred | Two independent monthly pools | One combined monthly pool, slightly higher per dollar |
| Monthly benefit when one spouse is not preferred | Unchanged — pass/fail pricing | Drops sharply — often to a fraction of the preferred number |
| Life insurance at first death | Pays the death benefit to the surviving spouse | Second-to-die — no death benefit until both have passed |
| Claim model | Cash indemnity | Cash indemnity |
| Carrier | Nationwide (A+ rated) | Nationwide (A+ rated) |
On the life insurance: CareMatters Together is second-to-die, which matters at the first death. Many families want whatever death benefit is left to reach the surviving spouse to help with their final years — that only happens on the individual design.
When CareMatters Together Wins
When Two Individual Policies Win
Our rule of thumb: unless both spouses clearly land in preferred health and you specifically want a second-to-die life benefit, the individual design usually delivers more total value — two LTC pools, first-death life insurance to the survivor, and no pricing cliff if one spouse is only a standard risk.
What Both Designs Share
Whichever Nationwide design fits, a few things do not change. Both are issued by Nationwide (A+ rated) on a cash-indemnity chassis — approved claims pay a check, not a reimbursement, so families are not scrambling for receipts during care. Both include the retroactive day-91 payment Nationwide pioneered in the hybrid space, and both offer Nationwide's strong inflation-rider choices.
Nationwide is also one of the more lenient hybrid carriers on underwriting relative to the peer set, which is part of why it is usually in the quote round when a shopper has minor medications or borderline BMI. If that is your situation, see our broader best Long Term Care Insurance companies shortlist for how Nationwide stacks up against Securian, Lincoln, OneAmerica, and the rest.
See Both Nationwide Designs on One Page
We are independent, so we quote CareMatters II and CareMatters Together side-by-side — and against Securian, Lincoln, OneAmerica, and the other A-rated hybrid carriers — against your real age, state, and health. You see all the pros and cons in one comparison and decide what actually fits.
Or call 1-800-800-6139