Long-Term Care Insurance:
70% of People Over 65 Will Need It.
Almost Nobody Has a Plan.
A nursing home in Maryland costs $114,975 per year. Medicare pays for 100 days — then stops. Medicaid requires spending down to near-poverty. Long-term care insurance is the only tool that protects everything you’ve saved — your retirement, your home, and your children’s inheritance — from the most predictable financial risk in retirement.
Need LTC (HHS)
Per Year (2025)
Then You’re On Your Own
(ASPE / HHS)
Than $200K in Care
Your Retirement Can Be Wiped Out in 4 Years.
By Something That Has Nothing to Do With the Market.
You spent 30 years building a retirement. You did the right things — maxed contributions, paid off the house, worked with an advisor. You have $500,000 saved and a solid plan.
Here’s what the plan doesn’t account for: one Alzheimer’s diagnosis requiring memory care costs $108,000–$120,000 per year in Maryland. A 4-year stay — which is common — consumes $430,000–$480,000.
That’s not a worst-case scenario. That’s the statistical average. And it happens to 70% of people who reach 65.
📊 The Cost Math Nobody Shows You
Sources: CareScout 2025, ASPE/HHS, LTCI Consultants MD 2025 data
Self-Pay Drains Everything
Paying out of pocket depletes IRAs, liquidates investments, and forces children into financial decisions during a crisis. IRA protection →
Medicare Stops at 100 Days
Medicare covers medical treatment — not custodial care. After 100 days of skilled nursing, you’re entirely on your own. See the gap →
Family Can’t Fill the Gap
The average family caregiver loses $304,000 in wages, benefits, and retirement contributions over a lifetime of caregiving. Protect them →
The Bottom Line
“Long-term care insurance doesn’t protect you from needing care. It protects everything you’ve saved from being consumed by it — and it protects your family from becoming your unpaid caregivers.”
🛡️ Protect My Retirement — Get a Free Quote →
Does Medicare Cover Long-Term Care?
No. Here’s Exactly What It Does — and Doesn’t — Pay For.
This is the most important thing you will read on this page. Most people discover this gap only after they or a parent needs care — by then, it’s too late to plan.
What About Medicaid? (Updated 2026 Maryland Numbers)
Medicaid does cover long-term care — but only after you’ve spent down assets to qualify. In Maryland in 2026, a single applicant must have $2,500 or less in countable assets. For married couples, the healthy spouse may keep up to $162,660 (Community Spouse Resource Allowance). Maryland’s look-back period is 60 months (5 years) — asset transfers before that window are scrutinized. The home may be exempt if a spouse lives there, but is subject to the Medicaid Estate Recovery Program after death (home equity limit: $752,000 in 2026). Medicaid-funded facilities are typically lower quality and offer no choice of where you receive care. LTC insurance lets you choose your setting, stay in your home, and preserve every dollar you’ve saved. Asset protection strategies →
Traditional LTC, Hybrid Life+LTC, or Annuity+LTC:
Which Type Is Right for You?
We work with all three LTC coverage approaches and recommend the right one based on your age, assets, health, and goals — never based on what pays us the most.
| Feature | Traditional LTC | Hybrid Life+LTC | Annuity+LTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Could Increase | Possible (state-regulated) | ✓ Locked forever | ✓ Locked |
| Death Benefit if Unused | No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Monthly Premium Option | ✓ | ✓ Select carriers | Usually lump sum |
| Generates Retirement Income | No | Limited | ✓ Yes |
| Inflation Protection | ✓ Riders available | ✓ Some products | Limited |
| MD Partnership Program | ✓ Available | Usually not | No |
| Health Underwriting | Full underwriting | Simplified | Minimal / GI options |
Every Birthday You Wait Costs Real Money.
Here’s Exactly How Much.
Premium is determined primarily by age and health at application — not when you need care. Locking in your rate now protects you from both future premium increases and future health changes that could disqualify you entirely.
| Age at Application | Monthly Premium* | Extra vs. Age 55 | Lifetime Extra Cost | Health Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 55 ⭐ Optimal | $150–$185/mo | Baseline | Baseline | Lowest |
| Age 60 | $190–$235/mo | +$40–$50/mo | +$12,000–$15,000 | Low–Moderate |
| Age 65 | $280–$345/mo | +$130–$160/mo | +$31,000–$38,000 | Moderate |
| Age 70 | $420–$510/mo | +$270–$325/mo | +$48,000–$58,000 | Elevated |
| Age 75+ | $650+/mo or declined | +$500+/mo | May be uninsurable | High — may be declined |
*Illustrative premiums: $200/day benefit, 3-year benefit period, 3% inflation protection. Actual premiums vary by carrier, state, health, and product. “Lifetime extra cost” assumes coverage to age 80.
If You Apply Today at 60
$190/mo
Locked for life
If You Wait Until 65
$310/mo
$120/mo more forever
The 5-Year Delay Costs You
$28,800+
In extra lifetime premiums
Lock In Your Rate Today
Get My Rate →Exactly What Long-Term Care Insurance Pays For
When Benefits Are Triggered — The 6 ADL Factors
Long-term care insurance benefits activate when a licensed healthcare professional certifies that you meet one of two criteria:
Criterion 1: ADL Impairment
You are unable to perform at least 2 of 6 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) without substantial assistance: bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring, and continence.
Criterion 2: Cognitive Impairment
You require substantial supervision due to cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or other conditions affecting memory, reasoning, or orientation. This criterion alone triggers benefits.
In-Home Care
The most preferred option — care in your own home. Covers home health aides, registered nurses for skilled care, physical/occupational/speech therapists, homemaker services, and personal care attendants.
Assisted Living Facility
For those who need help with daily activities but not 24-hour skilled nursing. Covers residential fees, personal care services, meals, housekeeping, and transportation. Maryland assisted living averages $62,400/year.
Memory Care / Dementia Units
Specialized care for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Memory care averages $108,000+/year in Maryland and often lasts 4–8 years. Cognitive impairment triggers benefits independently of ADLs.
Skilled Nursing Facility
24-hour care with nursing supervision — covering room and board, skilled nursing, medication management, and therapy beyond Medicare’s 100-day limit. Maryland’s most expensive setting at $114,975+/year.
Adult Day Services
Supervised daytime care in a community setting — allows caregiving family members to work or rest. Includes social activities, health monitoring, meals, and transportation. Often the most cost-effective early-care option.
Home Modifications & Equipment
Many policies cover home safety modifications: wheelchair ramps, grab bars, stair lifts, walk-in tubs, doorway widening, and medical alert systems — extending safe time at home by years.
Ready to See What Coverage Costs at Your Age?
Takes 2 minutes. We’ll show you quotes from multiple A-rated carriers — traditional, hybrid, and annuity+LTC — side by side.
🛡️ Get My Personalized LTC Quote — Free →
The Maryland Long-Term Care
Insurance Partnership Program
Maryland participates in a federal-state program that gives LTC insurance policyholders a powerful Medicaid asset protection benefit that standard policies cannot provide. Most people have never heard of it.
What Is the Partnership Program?
The Maryland Long-Term Care Partnership Program is a public-private partnership authorized under the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. It allows private LTC insurance policies that meet specific state requirements to be certified as “Partnership policies.”
Partnership policies are sold by private insurers — the same carriers we work with — but provide an additional layer of Medicaid asset protection that standard policies do not.
The Dollar-for-Dollar Protection Benefit
For every dollar your Partnership policy pays in LTC benefits, one dollar of your assets is protected from Maryland’s Medicaid spend-down requirement — above and beyond the standard $2,500 asset limit.
Example: If your Partnership policy pays $200,000 in benefits, you can retain $200,000 in additional assets when applying for Medicaid — far above the standard $2,500 limit. Those assets are also protected from Medicaid estate recovery after death.
Who Should Ask About a Partnership Policy?
Maryland residents ages 50–75 considering a traditional standalone LTC policy
Anyone with assets of $150,000–$1.5M who wants to preserve them from Medicaid spend-down
People who move between states and want to keep their asset protection
Anyone doing estate planning who wants to protect assets from LTC spend-down and estate recovery
Note: Hybrid life+LTC and annuity+LTC policies are generally not eligible for Partnership Program certification. Only traditional standalone LTC policies typically qualify. Ask us to compare both options for your situation.
Long-Term Care Insurance Explained in Plain English
The 70% stat, what Medicare actually covers, the 3 types of LTC policies, real costs, and how hybrid policies work — all in one video. Independent advisor. No sales pitch.
What LTC Planning Looks Like — And What Not Planning Looks Like.
Every Question We Get Asked — Answered Completely and Honestly
Still have questions? Our free quote process includes a no-pressure consultation with a licensed LTC specialist.
Get My Questions Answered + Free Quote →Essential Reading Before You Make Any Decision
Licensed for Long-Term Care Insurance in All 50 States
Maryland, Virginia, DC, and nationwide — we conduct the entire process by phone, video, or in person at our Brookeville, MD office. Maryland Long-Term Care Partnership Program policies available.
Compared for You
Carrier Partners Only
Your Quote
The Right Time Is Now
The Best Time to Plan for
Long-Term Care Was 10 Years Ago.
The Second Best Time Is Today.
One free conversation. We look at your age, health, retirement savings, and goals — and show you honestly which long-term care insurance option makes the most sense for your specific situation. No pressure. No obligation. Just answers.
🛡️ GET MY FREE LTC INSURANCE QUOTE →MD Life Insurance · Brookeville, MD 20833 · 301-569-2224 · info@mdlifeins.com · Licensed in MD, VA, DC and nationwide. Long-term care insurance premium estimates are illustrative only based on approximate 2025 market rates for a standard policy configuration. Actual quotes depend on age, health, carrier, state, product type, and benefit design. Maryland Long-Term Care Partnership Program policies are subject to Maryland Insurance Administration certification requirements and carrier availability. Medicaid eligibility figures reflect 2026 Maryland guidelines and are subject to change. This page is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, or insurance advice. Consult a licensed insurance professional before making any coverage decisions. Legal · Privacy Policy




