The Best Long Term Care Insurance Companies
Compare the best long term care insurance companies for 2026 by buyer profile, product type, claim model, premium structure, and long-term care planning goal.
The best Long Term Care Insurance company is not the same for every buyer. A healthy 56-year-old couple looking for the lowest stand-alone premium has a very different "best" than a 67-year-old moving money out of CDs, or a buyer worried about a 10-year dementia claim, or someone who mostly wants cash benefits paid without receipts.
That is the search intent behind "best long term care insurance companies": not a generic carrier directory, but a short list of which company belongs in the first quote round for your profile. The tools below give you a personalized shortlist in a couple of minutes — then the rest of the page goes deep on each carrier.
For deeper carrier-by-carrier analysis, use our companion guide to Long Term Care Insurance reviews. Last reviewed: April 22, 2026.
Find your carrier shortlist
Answer six short questions and we'll rank the 11 carriers on our 2026 shortlist by how well each one fits your specific situation.
What matters most in your LTC plan?
This is the single biggest driver of which carrier fits you.
Browse the full 2026 shortlist
Every carrier below is one we actually place business with. Filter by product type or feature to narrow the list, then jump to any carrier's detailed write-up.
Carrier Matrix
Compare the 2026 shortlist at a glance
Filter by product type or feature. Click any carrier for the full write-up further down the page.
A healthy buyer who wants a traditional stand-alone LTC baseline quote before looking at hybrids.
Buyers who want a modern traditional policy with a monthly benefit structure and a 10-pay option.
Buyers who prioritize a mutual carrier, broad traditional LTC features, and a career-agent service model.
Buyers who already have a Thrivent relationship or want a fraternal-benefit-society option in the comparison.
Healthy buyers who want a nationally available linked-benefit policy and may benefit from class-based underwriting.
Buyers who want the strongest all-around modern hybrid feature set with cash indemnity and international coverage.
Buyers worried about a long-duration cognitive claim who want lifetime-benefit LTC coverage.
Buyers who want cash indemnity, flexible care arrangements, and among the most lenient hybrid underwriting.
Buyers who want a mature hybrid platform with a choice of fixed or market-linked policy designs.
Buyers who already like participating whole life and want LTC protection layered into a permanent policy.
Buyers who want indexed life insurance features paired with LTC protection.
Buyers repositioning conservative money from cash, CDs, or non-qualified annuities into an LTC-leveraged pool.
Showing 12 of 12 carriers on our 2026 shortlist.
How We Rank the Best Companies
We are independent brokers, so a useful ranking cannot be based on one carrier's brochure. Our best-company shortlist weighs:
- Availability for new business: Is the product actually open to current applicants?
- Best-fit buyer profile: Does the company solve a specific planning problem better than peers?
- Claim usability: Cash indemnity, reimbursement, family care, home care, elimination period, and care coordination.
- Premium structure: Lifetime-pay, 10-pay, single-pay, guaranteed charges, class-rate-increase exposure, and return-of-premium options.
- Inflation strategy: 3% or 5% compound, CPI, simple inflation, future purchase options, or no automatic growth.
- Financial strength and issuing company: The rating should apply to the actual insurer issuing the policy, not just the marketing brand.
- State availability: A "best" carrier is not best if it is not approved where you live.
This is not a star-rating page. It is a practical first-round quote list. In a real application, the winner can change based on age, state, health history, spouse/partner status, funding source, and whether the buyer wants traditional LTC, hybrid life/LTC, or annuity/LTC.
Want the shortlist run against your real age, state, and health history? Request a side-by-side quote and we will compare traditional, hybrid life/LTC, and annuity/LTC options in one pass.
Best Traditional Long Term Care Insurance Companies
Traditional LTC is still the most direct way to buy long-term care coverage. You pay a premium for a policy designed specifically to cover home care, assisted living, adult day care, nursing home care, and related services. For more background on this category, see traditional Long Term Care Insurance.
Traditional policies usually give more LTC benefit per premium dollar than hybrid policies, but premiums are generally not guaranteed forever. Carriers may request class-based rate increases through state insurance regulators.
Mutual of Omaha
Best for: Healthy buyers who want a traditional stand-alone LTC quote before looking at hybrids.
Mutual of Omaha is usually the traditional LTC baseline because it is recognizable, active in the market, and easy to compare against other stand-alone designs. Its LTC materials describe a policy that can cover help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, meals, medication, and housekeeping. Mutual also describes two claim-payment paths: a traditional reimbursement benefit after the elimination period or a cash benefit with no elimination period.
Why it wins: Strong traditional-market visibility, straightforward product positioning, and a useful cash-benefit option for buyers who want more flexibility than pure reimbursement.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers who want guaranteed premiums, return of premium, or a death benefit if care is never needed should compare Securian, Nationwide, OneAmerica, MassMutual, and Lincoln.
Source: Mutual of Omaha long-term care insurance
National Guardian Life HonestLTC
Best for: Buyers who want a modern traditional policy with a monthly benefit structure and 10-pay option.
NGL announced HonestLTC in February 2026 as a second-generation traditional LTC product, initially available in 34 states with additional states pending regulatory approval. The product moves to a monthly benefit rather than a daily benefit and includes calendar-day elimination periods, 1% through 5% compound inflation choices, 2- to 6-year benefit periods, a partner discount, a shared benefit rider for couples, a 10-pay option, and a 0-day home care elimination-period rider.
Why it wins: HonestLTC is one of the more current traditional-LTC designs and directly addresses common buyer objections around home care, shared benefits, premium duration, and daily-limit rigidity.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers in states where HonestLTC is not yet approved, buyers who want cash indemnity instead of reimbursement, and buyers who want a death benefit if care is never needed.
Source: NGL HonestLTC announcement
New York Life NYL Secure Care
Best for: Buyers who value a mutual carrier, broad traditional LTC features, and a career-agent service model.
NYL Secure Care offers home and facility care, care planning, equipment benefits, restoration, shared care, inflation options, and a 25% couple discount for approved couples. New York Life also says policyowners may be eligible for dividends after 10 years, though dividends are not guaranteed. NYL Secure Care is offered with bundled benefit levels and custom design options.
Why it wins: It is one of the most complete traditional-LTC policy designs from a highly visible mutual insurer, especially for buyers who care about carrier permanence and service infrastructure.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers who want an independent quote round across multiple traditional and hybrid carriers should not stop with a New York Life-only illustration.
Source: New York Life NYL Secure Care
Thrivent
Best for: Buyers who already prefer Thrivent or want a fraternal-benefit-society option in the comparison.
Thrivent belongs in some traditional LTC comparisons, especially for buyers who already have a relationship there. The important point is not brand familiarity; it is whether the reimbursement structure, claim support, state availability, and pricing fit the buyer's plan.
Why it makes the list: It remains a relevant traditional-LTC name for the right applicant.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers who are specifically seeking cash indemnity, informal-care flexibility, or hybrid return-of-premium features should compare Securian, Nationwide, and other hybrid carriers.
For a deeper look at why Thrivent is consistently one of our top two traditional-LTC quotes — including the A++ rating, the rate-increase history, and who qualifies as a fraternal member — see our Thrivent long-term care insurance review.
Source: Thrivent long-term care claims FAQ
Best Hybrid Life/LTC Companies
Hybrid life/LTC policies pair life insurance with long-term care benefits. They are often funded with a single premium, 5-pay, 10-pay, or other limited-pay schedule. They usually cost more upfront than traditional LTC but can provide guaranteed premiums, return-of-premium features, policy cash value, or a death benefit if long-term care is never needed. Compare the product category in more detail on our hybrid life and LTC guide.
Securian SecureCare IV
Best for: Buyers who want the strongest all-around modern hybrid feature set.
Securian SecureCare IV is a linked-benefit whole life policy with cash indemnity LTC benefits. Securian lists retroactive benefits after the 90-day elimination period, single-pay through 20-pay funding options, 100% of the maximum monthly LTC benefit for qualified care outside the United States, and return-of-premium options. SecureCare IV also includes cash indemnity payment, which means approved claims are not handled through monthly reimbursement of bills.
Why it wins: It combines claim simplicity, international benefits, payment flexibility, and a clear hybrid structure. For many buyers who want one first hybrid quote, Securian belongs near the top.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers whose top priority is a lifetime benefit period should compare OneAmerica. Buyers who want annuity-based LTC instead of life insurance should compare ForeCare and other annuity/LTC options.
Sources: Securian SecureCare IV, Securian SecureCare 4 deep dive
OneAmerica Asset Care
Best for: Buyers worried about a long-duration cognitive claim.
OneAmerica Asset Care is a whole life policy with long-term care benefits issued by The State Life Insurance Company. OneAmerica says buyers can customize Asset Care with single or joint protection, inflation protection, and benefit length up to lifetime benefits through an additional rider.
Why it wins: Lifetime-benefit availability is the differentiator. If the planning question is "what if care lasts much longer than average," OneAmerica deserves an early quote.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers focused on cash indemnity claim simplicity, international care, or maximum short-duration leverage should also review Securian, Nationwide, and Lincoln.
Source: OneAmerica Asset Care
Nationwide CareMatters
Best for: Buyers who want cash indemnity and flexible care use.
Nationwide's CareMatters materials emphasize cash indemnity benefits, meaning no monthly bills or receipts after a claim is approved. Nationwide also describes CareMatters Annuity as a deferred fixed annuity contract linked to LTC coverage that gives more control over where and from whom care is received.
Why it wins: Cash indemnity can make a real difference for families during a claim. Nationwide should be in the first quote round when the buyer wants flexibility with home care, informal care, or family logistics.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers who want full international LTC benefits should compare Securian. Buyers who want lifetime benefits should compare OneAmerica.
Couples evaluating Nationwide should also weigh CareMatters II (individual policies) against CareMatters Together (shared pool). See our CareMatters II vs CareMatters Together breakdown for how health class, the second-to-die life benefit, and combined vs. independent LTC pools change the right answer.
Source: Nationwide CareMatters Annuity
Lincoln MoneyGuard
Best for: Buyers who want a long-running hybrid platform with fixed and market-linked choices.
Lincoln MoneyGuard is a life insurance policy with long-term care riders. Lincoln's public MoneyGuard Market Advantage disclosure says the LTC benefit rider is noncancelable, and that The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company cannot change policy or rider terms on its own or increase monthly rider charges or monthly inflation charges.
Why it wins: Lincoln is a serious comparison for buyers who want a mature linked-benefit platform, especially when fixed versus market-linked product design changes the illustration.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers who want the simplest possible cash-indemnity story should also review Securian and Nationwide.
See our Lincoln MoneyGuard 2026 breakdown for the 2023 repricing story, how the 50% cash indemnity feature plays out day-by-day on a real claim, and where MoneyGuard beats — and loses to — Securian and Nationwide on the spreadsheet.
Source: Lincoln MoneyGuard Market Advantage disclosures
MassMutual CareChoice
Best for: Buyers who like participating whole life and want LTC benefits attached.
MassMutual CareChoice products combine long-term care protection, death benefits, and rising cash value. MassMutual describes CareChoice One as a participating single-premium whole life policy with a qualified LTC rider and CareChoice Select as a participating 10-pay whole life policy with qualified LTC riders. Policyowners may be eligible for dividends, though dividends are not guaranteed.
Why it wins: It is a strong fit when the buyer already likes whole life guarantees and wants LTC protection layered into a permanent policy.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers in California or New York need state-specific availability checks. Buyers who want the highest LTC leverage per premium should compare Securian, OneAmerica, Nationwide, and traditional LTC.
Source: MassMutual CareChoice
Brighthouse SmartCare
Best for: Buyers who want indexed life insurance features paired with LTC protection.
Brighthouse SmartCare is an indexed universal life policy with long-term care riders. It is a fit for buyers who want hybrid LTC planning but are comfortable reviewing indexed policy mechanics, charges, rider costs, and policy-value assumptions.
Why it makes the list: SmartCare can work when the buyer wants life insurance, LTC benefits, and indexed growth potential in one policy.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers who want fewer moving parts should compare Securian, Nationwide, MassMutual, or traditional LTC.
Source: Brighthouse SmartCare
Best Annuity/LTC Company
Annuity/LTC is a narrower category than life/LTC, but it can be useful when the buyer already has conservative money earmarked for retirement or care costs. See the broader strategy in our hybrid LTC annuity guide.
Global Atlantic ForeCare
Best for: Buyers repositioning conservative money from cash, CDs, or non-qualified annuities.
ForeCare is a fixed annuity with long-term care benefits. Global Atlantic says ForeCare may provide 2x or 3x contract value for qualified LTC expenses, depending on approval, and that a spouse may also be covered. Remaining contract value not used for LTC can pass to beneficiaries as a death benefit.
Why it wins: It gives annuity-oriented buyers a way to turn conservative money into a larger LTC pool without buying a traditional annual-premium policy.
Who should compare elsewhere: Buyers who want lifetime LTC, cash indemnity from a life/LTC policy, or stronger inflation choices should compare OneAmerica, Securian, Nationwide, and traditional LTC.
Source: Global Atlantic ForeCare
Companies That Are Often Misunderstood
Some familiar LTC names still matter, but not always for new applications. Many have stopped writing new retail LTC but still administer millions of in-force policies — and those legacy contracts often contain benefits that would be very expensive or impossible to replace today.
Legacy Policy Checker
Already own a policy from one of these carriers?
Many familiar LTC names stopped selling new retail policies but still administer large in-force blocks. Pick yours for a quick read on what matters most.
Select a carrier above.
The single most common regret we hear from clients with legacy policies is canceling without first confirming what they'd lose.
Do Not Pick a Company Until These Numbers Match
The single most common mistake we see: a shopper gets three quotes, picks the cheapest, and doesn't realize the three illustrations are designed differently. Cheaper usually just means less coverage.
Use the builder below to lock in your desired spec, then paste the summary into every quote request. If an agent sends back an illustration that doesn't match the spec, ask them to requote with your numbers before you compare prices.
Apples-to-Apples Builder
Lock the specs before you compare carriers
The cheapest carrier is usually just the one selling less coverage. Set the 9 parameters below, copy the spec sheet, and force every quote to match.
Quote request spec sheet — compare apples-to-apples Please quote the following identical design across every carrier you represent: • Monthly benefit: $6,000 • Benefit period / pool: 4-year • Elimination period: 90-day calendar • Inflation protection: 3% compound • Shared-care rider: Yes • Home care benefit: 100% of facility benefit • Premium funding: Lifetime pay • Couples/partner discount applied: Yes (if applicable) • State: [your state] If any of these specs are not available for a given carrier, please note which ones differ before sending the illustration.
Paste this into any email to an agent or carrier. If two illustrations come back with different numbers on these lines, they are not comparable quotes.
Market Context for 2026
The LTC market is smaller and more specialized than it was 15 years ago. Many household-name traditional carriers stopped selling new stand-alone retail policies, while hybrid life/LTC and annuity/LTC designs took a larger role in retirement planning.
LIMRA recently noted that only a small share of Americans over age 50 have any form of LTC insurance, traditional or hybrid, and that annuity/LTC combination products represented 14% of total individual LTC insurance sales in 2024 when stand-alone LTC and combination life/LTC are included. In other words, shoppers have more product categories to compare, but fewer true specialists who can compare them side by side.
That is why an independent quote round matters. Captive agents can explain their company's product. They cannot show you what their company loses to.
Source: LIMRA on annuity/LTC products
What to do next
The best company is the one that wins after the quote is built around your age, state, health history, budget, assets, family plan, and preferred care setting. If you haven't already:
- Run the carrier finder quiz above to get your personalized 2–3 carrier shortlist.
- Lock in your apples-to-apples spec using the builder — so every quote you collect is actually comparable.
- Request a free side-by-side quote and we'll pressure-test your shortlist against your real numbers.
- Use the LTC insurance reviews page to dig deeper into any finalist before you apply.
