Long-term care insurance is a type of insurance developed specifically to cover the costs of nursing homes, assisted living, home health care and other long-term care services. These services are usually not covered by traditional health insurance or Medicare.

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The majority of policies sold today are comprehensive policies. They typically cover care and services in a variety of long-term care settings: 

What Isn't Covered by Long-Term Care Insurance

Like all insurance, long-term care policies have exclusions. These exclusions often follow state regulations on what exclusions are allowed. Long-term care policies typically exclude: 

  • Care provided by a family member 
  • Care provided outside the United States of America. However, a growing number of policies have an international care benefit.  
  • Care that results from war or act of war
  • Care that results from an attempt at suicide or an intentionally self-inflicted injury
  • Treatment for alcoholism or drug addiction  
  • Treatment provided in a government facility  
  • Services that are covered by Medicare or other government program (except Medicaid), or workers' compensation 

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To learn what exclusions apply to a policy that you are considering, check the Outline of Coverage you receive before you apply. If you already have a policy, you will still have an Outline of Coverage that lists any exclusions.

At what age should you buy long-term care insurance?


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