The questions families ask us most

Medicare generally does not pay for custodial long-term care — the ongoing, non-medical help with daily activities that most long-term care actually consists of. It may cover limited skilled nursing or home health services when specific medical conditions and eligibility rules are met.

No. A complete plan may combine income, savings, investments, insurance, annuities, home equity, public benefits, and family support. For many families the right answer involves no new insurance at all.

Before a health event. Long-term care insurance is medically underwritten, so earlier planning means more choices, more time to save, and greater flexibility to coordinate estate and retirement decisions. If you are already past that point, you are choosing among funding sources and providers instead — which is what most of this site covers.

It depends on local care costs, the preferred setting, available family support, insurance benefits, inflation, and how much risk the family is comfortable keeping. Start with what care costs here and test a year of it against your retirement income.

Generally a life insurance or annuity contract that combines long-term care benefits with another financial value, such as a death benefit, cash value, or annuity value. Features and guarantees vary considerably by contract.

Certain qualified long-term care services and limited amounts of premiums for qualified policies may be treated as medical expenses under federal tax rules. Eligibility and the value of any deduction depend on the taxpayer’s facts and on current law. Ask a tax professional — this is not something to work out from a website.

A California program involving the state and approved insurers. Qualifying Partnership policies include consumer protections and may provide Medi-Cal asset protection equal to qualifying benefits paid, subject to program rules. A Partnership policy and a hybrid or asset-based policy are not automatically the same thing — verify whether a specific contract is Partnership-approved.

Yes. A carrier leaving the sales market does not cancel your policy, and claims on existing policies are still paid — sometimes through a third-party administrator, so the name on your correspondence may differ from the name on your policy. Do not cancel a legacy policy without professional advice; older policies often contain benefits that cannot be bought at any price today.

Commonly 60 to 90 days or more between the first phone call and the first benefit payment, once you account for claim paperwork, the carrier’s assessment, and the elimination period written into the policy. You can begin a claim before choosing a provider — and you should. See filing a claim.

Sometimes. Many policies exclude or restrict payment to spouses and relatives; some cover them. This is written into your policy’s provider definitions, and it is worth getting the answer in writing before care starts rather than after. See approved providers.

No. Our directory is informational only and is not an endorsement. We are not paid by any provider listed, and we do not accept referral fees from them. We will happily help you work out what to ask them.

The family may still pay for care, but the decision arrives during a crisis. Without a plan, care costs can force unplanned asset sales, large taxable withdrawals, caregiver strain, and far fewer choices about where care is received.