For the care health insurance won't pay for.
Coverage for help with daily living at home, in assisted living or in a nursing home, with the triggers, waiting periods and inflation choices explained before you apply.
Quick answer Long-term care insurance covers help with everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing and eating, at home, in assisted living or in a nursing home, when chronic illness, disability or cognitive decline makes them hard to manage alone.
- Long-term care policies can cover facility care only, home care only, or both under comprehensive coverage.
- Medicare doesn't pay for long-term custodial care, such as help with bathing or dressing, at home or in a facility.
- A tax-qualified long-term care policy pays when you can't perform two of six activities of daily living without substantial help, or need substantial supervision because of severe cognitive impairment.
- The elimination period in a long-term care policy is the number of days you pay for care yourself before benefits start.
- Individual long-term care policies are guaranteed renewable, so they can't be cancelled for age or health, but premiums can rise if the state regulator allows it.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed October 2026 · How this page is researched
Medicare doesn't pay for custodial care
Long-term care is help with everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing and eating when a chronic illness, a disability or cognitive decline makes them hard to manage alone. Medicare doesn't pay for it, and neither does most health insurance, Medigap included. Medicaid can, for people who meet their state's eligibility rules, sometimes only after they've spent down their own savings.
A long-term care policy pays once you need help with a set number of daily activities or need supervision because of severe cognitive impairment. You choose a daily benefit, how long benefits can last and how long you wait before they start. The choices with the biggest long-run effect are inflation protection and whether you can keep paying, because premiums on existing policies can rise if the state insurance regulator allows it.
- Daily benefitThe most the policy pays per day. Multiplied by the days covered, it sets the lifetime maximum.
- Elimination periodDays you pay for care yourself before benefits start. Common choices are 0, 30, 90 or 100.
- Inflation protectionIn California insurers must offer it, including 5% compound annual increases.
- Where care is coveredFacility care only, home care only, or comprehensive coverage of both.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- Ages: date of birth for each person applying.
- Care preference: at home, assisted living, a nursing home, or all of these.
- Benefit: a daily amount and how many years of benefits you want.
- Waiting period: how long you could pay for care yourself.
- Budget: a yearly premium you could keep paying even if it went up.
- Health: leave it off the web form. We'll go through the insurance company's medical questions together.
Long-term care insurance, answered
Doesn't Medicare cover nursing home care?
Only skilled nursing facility care for a limited time, up to 100 days, and only when daily skilled care is needed. Medicare doesn't pay for long-term custodial care, such as help with bathing or dressing, at home or in a facility.
When does a long-term care policy start paying?
A tax-qualified policy pays when you can't perform two of six activities of daily living without substantial help, or need substantial supervision because of severe cognitive impairment. The six are bathing, dressing, transferring, eating, toileting and continence. After that, the elimination period has to pass.
Can my long-term care premium go up?
Yes. Individual policies are guaranteed renewable, so the company can't cancel you because of age or health, but it can raise premiums if the state insurance regulator allows it. In California you can look up a company's long-term care rate history on the Department of Insurance website.
Why have long-term care rates risen so often?
According to NAIC, many older policies were priced before claims were well understood. Insurers underestimated how many people would claim and for how long, and fewer policyholders dropped coverage than expected. Newer policies are priced with decades more experience.
What is a California Partnership policy?
The California Partnership for Long-Term Care is a state program run with participating insurance companies. Partnership policies must be cleared by both the Department of Insurance and the Department of Health Care Services, include automatic inflation protection, and can only be sold by agents with special Partnership training.
Are long-term care premiums tax deductible?
For a federally tax-qualified policy, some or all of the premium may be deductible as a medical expense, depending on your age and the premium. Your tax advisor can confirm what applies to you.
Can I return a long-term care policy?
In California, individual buyers have 30 days after receiving the policy to return it for a full refund. Keep a record of when you received it and when you sent it back.
Do you offer long-term care insurance outside California?
Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. California policies are placed directly; outside California the request is handled together with a partner agency in your state, and the shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.
Tell me who it's for and where care would happen.
Ages and whether you'd prefer care at home are enough to start.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.
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(424) 552-4545Answered 24/7 · CA License #4348151
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