Deep Market Analysis

2026-06-08

Transamerica LTC Rate Increases: TransCare Filing History

Transamerica stopped selling TransCare in 2021 but keeps repricing its in-force book — Pennsylvania approved 30% then 17.48%, Connecticut 20%. The filing record.

2026-06-02

John Hancock LTC Rate Increases: Filing History & the Closed-Block Reality

John Hancock stopped selling standalone LTC in 2016 but keeps repricing its in-force book — Maryland approved 29.9% in 2025, North Carolina ~25%/yr. The filing record.

2026-05-25

Your LTC Carrier Stopped Selling New Policies. Here's What Happens to Yours.

Carrier exits don't terminate in-force LTC policies. Block transfers, reinsurance assumption, and the $300,000 state guaranty cap — the mechanics that govern your policy when the company behind it changes hands.

2026-05-18

Shared Care for Couples LTC: The Math Behind a 4× Claim Risk

When one spouse files a long-term care claim, the other spouse's claim probability rises to roughly 4× the baseline. The shared care rider exists for that risk — here is the math and the carrier variations.

2026-05-16

Inflation Protection vs. Nonforfeiture: Two Riders That Solve Different Problems

Inflation protection and nonforfeiture are LTC's two most important optional riders — and they protect against completely different failure modes. Here's which one matters more, by scenario.

2026-05-16

Nonforfeiture Options Compared: Which One Preserves the Most Insurance Protection?

Side-by-side comparison of all nonforfeiture options — Reduced Paid-Up, Extended Term, Cash Surrender, Shortened Benefit Period, and contingent nonforfeiture. Which preserves the most coverage, and when does each one make sense?

2026-05-16

Nonforfeiture vs. Nonforfeiture Rider: What's the Actual Difference?

An LTC policy can have two different things called 'nonforfeiture' — the rider you bought at issue (the Shortened Benefit Period rider) and the §28 contingent benefit that's mandated by regulation. Here's the disambiguation.

2026-05-09

Where Dave Ramsey Is Right and Wrong About Long-Term Care Insurance

Ramsey says buy LTC at 60, take a 3-5 year benefit, and self-insure if you can. The age advice is half-defensible. The self-insurance threshold is mis-calibrated. The math, with sources.

2026-04-30

Contingent Nonforfeiture Benefit: LTC Policyholder Guide (NAIC §28 Trigger + 120-Day Deadline)

NAIC Model Reg §28's contingent benefit upon lapse turns a big rate increase into a paid-up policy at total premiums paid. Trigger schedule, the math, the 120-day deadline, and who's left out.

2026-04-30

DRA Partnership Policies: How LTC Insurance Protects Assets in Medicaid Spend-Down

Partnership-qualified long-term care policies provide dollar-for-dollar Medicaid asset disregard. The 2005 Deficit Reduction Act federal authority, the state implementation, and what it actually buys for spend-down planning.

2026-04-30

Genworth LTC Rate Increases: 2018–2025 Filing History & What In-Force Policyholders Face

Genworth LTC rate increases by year: a 2018–2025 filing history. CT 2022 avg 97% (79–173%), MA 2023 161% denied, FL 98.1% phased, $31.8B cumulative NPV approved through Q3 2025. What in-force policyholders face next.

2026-04-30

How LTC Insurance Claims Actually Get Paid (and Where They Get Denied)

The 90-day elimination period is a working-capital problem. ADL certification has specific document mechanics. The top 4 denial reasons are predictable. What to know before filing an LTC claim.

2026-04-30

Hybrid Life/LTC vs Traditional LTC: Eight Mechanisms the Cost Comparison Misses

A side-by-side cost comparison of hybrid life/LTC and traditional LTC misses eight structural mechanisms that change the math: claim trigger, payment style, rate exposure, lapse asymmetry, opportunity cost, underwriting access, tax treatment, and inflation mechanics.

2026-04-30

Should You Drop the 5% Compound Inflation Rider? The Math by Care Setting

The 5% compound inflation rider is the most expensive piece of a traditional LTC policy. Whether dropping it makes sense depends on your expected care setting. The math at home health aide vs nursing home growth rates.

2026-04-30

Mutual of Omaha's LTC Rate-Filing Posture: The Active-Carrier Story

Mutual of Omaha is one of the few major LTC carriers still actively writing new policies. Recent rate-action averages: 26% in 2023, 23% in 2024, 6% in 2025. What an active-carrier rate trajectory looks like vs. closed-block carriers like Genworth.

2026-04-30

The LTC Rate-Hike Letter: Five Options Inside the Decision Window

A long-term care rate-increase notice is a structured menu, not a single bill. The five options on the alternatives schedule, the deadlines that govern each, and the math signature for who each one fits.

2026-04-30

Self-Insure vs LTC Insurance: Real Math at $1M, $2M, $5M Net Worth

Three worked-out scenarios using nominal-frame present-value math. Why the keep-vs-drop answer changes at each wealth tier — and where the $5M policyholder should rethink.

2026-04-30

Should You Drop Your Long-Term Care Insurance? It Depends on What's Prompting the Question

Six triggers prompt the question of dropping a long-term care policy — rate hike, slow-burn affordability, health change, life-circumstance shift, value re-evaluation, and industry disillusionment. Each changes the math.