Like you, we don't like insurance either.
Our goal with every single client is to help you buy as little insurance as possible. Finding the balance between too much coverage and too little is our mission every time.
Long-term care insurance is like any insurance — you may buy the coverage and never even use it. We help clients drill down to the right number: enough to protect the nest egg, not a dollar more than the situation requires.
Finding that balance between too much insurance and too little insurance is our mission for you every time.
We start with the foundational concept that Long Term Care Insurance is like any insurance, you may buy the coverage and never even use it. We help our clients drill down to find the proper balance between too much and too little insurance.
Pro Tip: Truthfully, if you are in your 50s/60s and have good health, if you wait a year or two to buy long term care insurance it won't be a big deal on price. Take your time to do it the right way by comparing multiple companies and most importantly, do it when you are ready. We'll be here.
Since 1998, we've been the #1 source for objectively comparing blue-chip long-term care insurance companies side-by-side. We handle both traditional and hybrid quotes, and our job is to help you save money and get the best deal on your purchase.
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LTC Tree, the smart and easy way to shop for Long Term Care Insurance. Watch the video below to see an example of what info you'll get.
- 1
Reviews of each company's financial stability ratings, claims experience, and size.
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A side-by-side comparison of each company's policy features. We cover the similarities and the differences.
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Price comparisons customized to your age, health, state, benefit amount, and inflation protection choices.
Carriers quoted will depend on your state. Completing this form does not bind you to any insurance policy.
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Long-term care insurance is more than ordinary retirement planning.
It removes the single biggest worry of your retirement — having to earmark your nest egg for the uncertainty of needing long-term care. With that worry off the table, you can focus on the things in life that actually make you happy.
A claim is generally triggered when a physician certifies that you need help with at least two of the six activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, and continence — for an expected ninety days or more, or when you have a severe cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's.
How likely are you to need long-term care?
of adults turning 65 today will need some form of long-term services and supports during their lifetime
will need that care for longer than five years
Source: federal Administration for Community Living, longtermcare.gov
Longevity is extending — and so is the need for care.
Modern medicine keeps pushing life expectancy higher. The downside of that runway is a rising likelihood that you'll need hands-on help at some point in those later years.
of people 65 and older will eventually need long-term care services.
average life expectancy in years — women and men. Advances in medicine keep extending the runway, and the need for care along with it.
of seniors 85 and older have Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia — the number-one reason for a long-term care claim.
The conditions that lead to a long-term care claim
The leading reason long-term care claims are filed. As lifespans extend, the prevalence of cognitive impairment climbs sharply after age 80.
Obesity, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and Parkinson's can each lead to a need for ongoing custodial care — sometimes for years at a time.
Accidents like a broken hip are the second-leading cause of a long-term care claim. Recovery often requires months of hands-on support at home.
Your benefits follow you — wherever care is delivered.
Long-term care insurance is not health insurance. It doesn't pay for hospital stays or doctor visits — it pays for the hands-on daily help that ordinary medical coverage and Medicare were never designed to cover. Once a policy is on claim, benefits follow you to the setting that fits your situation:
Most claims stay home. Roughly 51% of long-term care claims pay for a home health aide who comes to the house to help with activities of daily living and basic household tasks — so a policy isn't a ticket to the nursing home, it's an insurance policy on your independence.
The high cost of care could drain your life savings.
Care is billed at the rate the facility or agency charges — not the lower rate Medicaid reimburses. National-median costs today:
In context: Two years' worth of paychecks for the average American household.
In context: Roughly the all-in tuition for four years at a state college.
In context: The annual mortgage payments on three average homes.
Vetting a specific facility? Star ratings, staffing data, and inspection results for any Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility are published on Medicare's Care Compare.
What a real claim actually looks like
The average stay in a nursing home is now 3.3 years. At today's rates, a single claim adds up to six-figure sums — and inflation is likely to triple today's cost over a 30-year horizon.
Why inflation protection matters. A 3% compound inflation rider is roughly 2× the premium of a level-benefit policy, but it's the single design choice that keeps your benefits from losing their purchasing power over the next three decades.
What a plan actually does for you
Protecting yourself from the greatest financial risk of retirement does three specific things:
Benefits let you receive home health care in the comfort of your own home — the setting where 51% of all long-term care claims are paid.
IRAs, 401(k)s, CDs, stocks — a policy helps you avoid depleting your investments, losing your home, and ending up in a Medicaid-welfare nursing facility with substandard care.
A plan means you'll never have to ask your kids, spouse, or siblings to put their own lives on hold to become your caregiver.
How people pay for long-term care
There are essentially four ways a long-term care bill gets paid in the United States:
Savings, investments, home equity, or family support — drawn down until the money runs out.
The public safety net for low-income and asset-depleted households. Each state runs its own program with its own asset and income limits, typically requiring substantial spend-down before eligibility.
Covers up to roughly 100 days of skilled rehabilitation following a qualifying hospital stay. It does not pay for ongoing custodial care, despite a widespread belief otherwise.
Designed to bridge the gap between Medicare's narrow scope and Medicaid's eligibility floor.
Traditional vs. hybrid long-term care insurance
The market today centers on two structures. The right one depends on whether your priority is minimizing premium or guaranteeing the dollars come back to your estate one way or the other.
A standalone reimbursement (or cash-indemnity) policy that pays only if you need qualifying care.
- Lowest premium per dollar of LTC benefit
- Use-it-or-lose-it: no death benefit if care is never needed
- Carriers can request rate increases (subject to state regulator approval)
Buyers focused on maximum LTC leverage per premium dollar.
Permanent life insurance with a long-term care rider. Single-pay or limited-pay options are common.
- Premium typically locked at issue — no future rate-increase risk
- Death benefit returns dollars to your estate if care is never needed
- Higher upfront cost than traditional LTCi for the same LTC benefit
Buyers who want certainty that the dollars come back one way or the other.
What actually moves your premium
Six factors do almost all the work in setting your premium:
Premiums climb meaningfully through the 50s and accelerate after 65.
Preferred vs. standard typically moves premiums 25–40%.
Monthly benefit, benefit period, and elimination period.
A 3% compound rider roughly doubles a level-benefit premium but is critical over a 30-plus-year horizon.
Typically 15–30% when two applicants qualify together.
The same applicant profile can see a 20%-plus spread across active carriers.
Do it when you're ready. Not a day sooner.
Truthfully — if you're in your 50s or 60s and in good health, waiting a year or two to buy a policy isn't going to make or break your price. What does matter is buying the right policy from the right carrier the first time.
Take your time. Compare multiple companies. Understand what each one does differently. Then buy when you're ready — not when somebody's trying to close you. We'll still be here.
Federal tax treatment of LTC insurance premiums
Premiums for tax-qualified long-term care insurance count as a deductible medical expense up to age-based annual limits set by the IRS.
| Age at end of tax year | Eligible-premium limit |
|---|---|
| 40 or under | $500 |
| 41 through 50 | $930 |
| 51 through 60 | $1,860 |
| 61 through 70 | $4,960 |
| 71 and older | $6,200 |
Deduction applies to the portion of total medical expenses that exceeds 7.5% of AGI.
Generally deduct qualified premiums above the line under the self-employed health insurance deduction, subject to the same caps.
Can pay qualified LTC premiums tax-free up to the same limits.
State-level treatment varies, and several states offer additional credits or deductions on top of the federal rules.
“LTC Tree's assistance was invaluable in helping us decide which long-term care insurance policy was best for us, and in reviewing the hybrid plans as well. They saved us money and gave us peace of mind.”
Frequently asked questions
What is long-term care insurance?
Long-term care insurance reimburses the cost of help with everyday activities — bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, and continence — when you can no longer perform them on your own, or when you have a cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's. It pays for care delivered at home, in adult day programs, in assisted living, in memory care, or in a skilled nursing facility.
What does long-term care insurance cost?
Premiums depend on age at application, health, the daily or monthly benefit amount, the benefit period, and whether you add inflation protection. Most healthy applicants in their 50s and 60s pay roughly $1,500 to $5,000 per applicant per year for a comprehensive policy. Spousal or partner discounts of 15% to 30% are common when two people qualify together.
At what age should I buy long-term care insurance?
Most people buy between their mid-50s and mid-60s. Premiums climb meaningfully through the 50s and accelerate after 65, and underwriting also tightens with age. If you're in good health in your 50s or early 60s, waiting a year or two typically won't blow up your price — but waiting past 65 narrows carrier options and raises lifetime cost, and a single new diagnosis can take coverage off the table entirely.
How long will I need long-term care?
The average stay in a nursing home is now 3.3 years. At today's national-median private-pay rates, that works out to roughly $357,746 per person or $715,492 for a married couple — before accounting for inflation, which is likely to triple today's cost over the next 30 years. That is why a compound inflation-protection rider is the single most important design choice on a policy you buy in your 50s or 60s.
Does Medicare pay for long-term care?
Generally no. Medicare covers up to roughly 100 days of skilled rehabilitation in a nursing facility following a qualifying hospital stay, plus some short-term home health services tied to recovery. Medicare does not pay for ongoing custodial care — the help with daily activities that most long-term care actually involves.
Is long-term care insurance tax deductible?
Premiums for tax-qualified long-term care insurance count as a deductible medical expense up to age-based annual limits set by the IRS. The 2026 limits run from $500 (age 40 or under) to $6,200 (age 71 and older), per IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. Self-employed filers can generally deduct qualified premiums above the line, and HSA dollars can pay qualified premiums tax-free up to the same caps.
Traditional or hybrid — which is better?
Traditional standalone long-term care insurance offers the lowest premium per dollar of LTC benefit but is use-it-or-lose-it, and carriers can request rate increases subject to state regulator approval. Hybrid policies combine permanent life insurance with an LTC rider — the premium is typically locked at issue and a death benefit returns money to your estate if care is never needed, but the upfront cost is higher. The right structure depends on whether your priority is minimizing premium or guaranteeing the dollars come back one way or the other.
Can I be denied long-term care insurance?
Yes. Carriers underwrite for cognitive function, mobility, and chronic conditions. Conditions like Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, prior stroke, uncontrolled diabetes, or a recent cancer treatment commonly result in declines. Buying earlier and in better health is the most reliable way to qualify and to lock in lower rates for life.
Will my premium go up after I buy?
Traditional long-term care insurance premiums are not guaranteed level — carriers can request rate increases, which must be reviewed and approved by the state insurance department. Hybrid life-plus-LTC policies generally lock the premium at issue. Your specialist will walk you through each carrier's rate-increase history before you decide.
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Get traditional and hybrid quotes from every major carrier in about two minutes. No obligation. No home visits.
Looking for state-specific rules, Medicaid programs, or Partnership status? See the Long-Term Care Insurance by State directory.