Methodology & Sources

Primary data sources

Our editorial coverage is built on publicly accessible records and named industry datasets. We do not use proprietary insurer data, paid research syndication, or undisclosed industry sources.

NAIC System for Electronic Rate & Form Filing (SERFF)

Carrier rate-increase requests are filed in each state through SERFF, a database operated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Each filing includes the requested percentage, supporting actuarial memorandum, and the state’s eventual approval, modification, or denial. Our Rate-Hike Tracker is compiled directly from SERFF records for the carriers and states we cover.

SERFF access: filingaccess.serff.com (public portal). Some state filings require state-specific portals; we link to those individually.

State insurance department public records

Each state insurance department issues press releases, bulletins, and rate-action approval notices that supplement SERFF data. We cite the issuing department by name (e.g., “California Department of Insurance Press Release, [date]”) with direct links to source documents where available. State-by-state coverage in our Rate Tracker prioritizes the eight states with the largest in-force LTC policyholder populations.

AAALTCI annual sourcebooks

The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AAALTCI) publishes annual industry data on premiums, sales volume, claims experience, and carrier participation. We cite AAALTCI as an industry source — not as an independent regulator. Where their figures conflict with insurance department data, we note the discrepancy and prefer the regulator.

Genworth Cost of Care Survey

The Genworth annual Cost of Care Survey is the most-cited dataset for current cost-of-care benchmarks across home care, assisted living, nursing facility, and adult day care across all 50 states. We cite Genworth as the survey publisher; we do not cite Genworth’s own LTC product literature except when comparing carrier offerings.

CMS Nursing Home Compare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes nursing-facility quality ratings, deficiency reports, and ownership data. We use this for facility-level coverage and to ground claims about nursing-home cost variation.

Medicaid sources (KFF, CMS, HHS ASPE, state agencies)

Medicaid is the largest payer for long-term care in the United States and the most common alternative when private LTC insurance is unavailable, unaffordable, or exhausted. Where our coverage references Medicaid eligibility — income and asset limits, the 60-month look-back period, transfer penalties, Miller Trusts (Qualified Income Trusts), Medicaid-compliant annuities, spend-down strategies, estate recovery, or HCBS waiver coverage — we cite the following primary sources:

• Medicaid.gov — Federal program rules, waiver approvals, and CMS policy guidance.
• KFF state Medicaid trackers — State-by-state eligibility thresholds, expansion status, HCBS waiver scope, and policy comparisons.
• HHS ASPE Federal Poverty Guidelines — Annually-updated FPL thresholds (published each January) used to anchor MAGI Medicaid eligibility brackets. Includes the adjusted thresholds for Alaska (1.25×) and Hawaii (1.15×).
• Federal SSI Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) — The 300% SSI FBR cap, published by the Social Security Administration, sets the institutional Medicaid income ceiling in most states.
• Individual state Medicaid agency publications — State Department of Health Services or equivalent agencies publish the authoritative income/asset thresholds, look-back enforcement, and Miller Trust requirements per state. We cite the state agency directly when characterizing state-specific Medicaid rules.

State-specific exceptions we explicitly track when discussing Medicaid alternatives to LTC insurance:

• Wisconsin covers childless adults to 100% FPL through a Section 1115 waiver (BadgerCare Plus) despite not formally expanding Medicaid under the ACA.
• California (Medi-Cal) eliminated the asset limit for non-MAGI beneficiaries in 2024.
• Income-cap states (e.g., Florida, Texas, Wisconsin) require Miller Trust setup when income exceeds the cap.
• Estate recovery aggressiveness varies by state and is updated continuously; we cite the state's MERP rules at time of writing and date-stamp the post.

Medicaid eligibility coverage on this site is grounded in CMS guidance, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, state Medicaid agency public materials, and the Kaiser Family Foundation Medicaid trackers. State-level look-back rules, asset-limit thresholds, and waiver-program waitlists vary; we cite the state insurance commissioner or Medicaid agency record for state-specific claims. See the full disclaimer for editorial framing.

Editorial process

Research-to-publication workflow

Every published post follows a documented process: (1) primary-source compilation, (2) numerical claim verification, (3) adversarial review (a second analyst pressure-tests claims for logical errors, outdated facts, or unsupported assumptions), (4) inline citation of every factual claim, (5) publication with named editor responsibility. Posts that involve mechanism explanations or causal claims receive heightened review.

Inline citations

Every numerical claim, every regulatory reference, every carrier-specific assertion is linked to its primary source. We do not aggregate via secondhand citations. If we report that Genworth requested a 28% rate increase in California in Q1 2026, the link goes to the SERFF filing — not to a news article that summarized the SERFF filing.

What we don’t cite

We do not cite carrier marketing materials as evidence of product behavior. We do not cite agent blogs or independent broker websites as sources. We do not republish industry-funded research unless we can independently verify the methodology.

What we do not do

We are not licensed

The Long Term Care Desk is not a licensed insurance agent, broker, or financial advisor. We do not sell policies. We do not collect commissions on policy sales. We do not refer to specific advisors in exchange for compensation. We publish editorial analysis. Decisions about your specific policy should involve a fiduciary advisor or licensed insurance professional.

No undisclosed financial relationships

We do not accept paid placement of carrier names, products, or advisor referrals. Any future sponsored content will be labeled “SPONSORED” prominently and excluded from our methodology compliance.

Affiliate links, when present

If we ever add affiliate links to advisor lead-generation networks (e.g., fee-only fiduciary directories), those links will be labeled and excluded from our editorial recommendations. We do not currently use affiliate links.

Refresh cadence

Our Rate-Hike Tracker is refreshed quarterly from public SERFF filings. Carrier-intelligence posts are reviewed for currency at least quarterly. Policy-mechanics posts (NAIC formula, contingent nonforfeiture, etc.) are reviewed for accuracy at least annually. The “Last reviewed” date appears on every leaf post.

Corrections policy

If you find a factual error, email editor@longtermcaredesk.com. Verified corrections are noted in a visible “Updated” line on the affected post, with the date and nature of the correction. We do not silently revise published content.