The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has written this guide to help you understand long-term care and the insurance options that can help you pay for long-term care services. The decision to buy long-term care insurance is very important and one you shouldn’t make in a hurry. By state law, insurance companies or agents must give you this guide to help you better understand longterm care insurance and decide which, if any, policy to buy.

Take a moment to look at the table of contents and you’ll see the questions this guide answers and the information that is in it. Then, read the guide carefully. If you see a term you don’t understand, look in the glossary starting on page 29. (Terms in bold in the text are in the glossary.) Take your time. Decide if buying a policy might be right for you.

If you decide to shop for a long-term care insurance policy, start by getting information about the long-term care services and facilities you might use and how much they charge. Use the first worksheet that starts on page 38 to write down this information. Then, as you shop for a policy, use Worksheet 2, starting on page 40. There you can write down the information you collect to compare policies and buy the one that best meets your needs.

If you have questions, call your state insurance department or the insurance counseling program in your state. The telephone numbers are listed starting on page 31 of this guide.

Download A Shopper’s Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance

PDF format, 572KB, 48Pages. Published by NAIC.

This guide is one example of work done by the NAIC to assist states in educating and protecting consumers.

What Is Long-Term Care?

Someone with a long physical illness, a disability, or a cognitive impairment (such as Alzheimer’s disease) often needs long-term care. Many different services help people with chronic conditions overcome limitations that keep them from being independent.

Long-term care is different from traditional medical care. Long-term care helps one live as he or she is now; it may not help to improve or correct medical problems. Long-term care services may include help with activities of daily living, home health care, respite care, adult day care, care in a nursing home, and care in an assisted living facility. Long-term care may also include care management services, which will evaluate your needs and coordinate and monitor the delivery of long-term care services.

Someone with a physical illness or disability often needs hands-on help with activities of daily living (see pages 16-17). People with cognitive impairments usually need supervision, protection, or verbal reminders to do everyday activities.

The way long-term care services are provided is changing. Skilled care and personal care are still the terms used most often to describe long-term care and the type or level of care you may need.

People usually need skilled care for medical conditions that require care by medical personnel such as registered nurses or professional therapists. This care is usually needed 24 hours a day, a physician must order it, and the care must follow a plan. Individuals usually get skilled care in a nursing home but may also receive it in other places. For example, you might get skilled care in your home with help from visiting nurses or therapists.

Personal care (sometimes called custodial care) helps one with activities of daily living (ADLs). These activities include bathing, eating, dressing, toileting, continence, and transferring. Personal care is less involved than skilled care, and it may be given in many settings

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