What Is Long-Term Care?

Long-term care is when a person needs help for a long time with basic tasks. These tasks are called “activities of daily living” and include things like using the bathroom, taking a bath, getting dressed, and eating.

Some people need this help at home. Others may go to a center during the day or move into a special care facility.

Long-term care can happen in many settings, including in-home care, adult day care centers, assisted living communities, and nursing homes.

Some people may also need home health care, which means they receive some medical help at home, or hospice care (for end-of-life comfort), or home health aides (for medical needs at home).

Why Is Long-Term Care So Expensive?

Long-term care costs vary depending on where you live and what kind of help you need. According to the 2024 Cost of Care Survey, the average cost for a home health aide in the U.S. is $34 per hour.

For homemaker services, like cooking or cleaning, the cost is around $33 per hour. If someone goes to adult day care during the week, the daily cost is about $100.

Assisted living costs about $5,900 per month. A nursing home costs even more — about $9,277 per month for a shared room and $10,646 per month for a private room.

This means that over a full year, assisted living can cost over $70,000. A private room in a nursing home can cost more than $127,000 per year. If a person needs care for several years, the total cost can go well over $300,000.

Here are some examples from the most recent U.S. data (2024):

So if someone needs full-time care for several years, the costs can add up to $100,000 or more per year.

What Is Long-Term Care Insurance?

Long-term care insurance helps pay for these services. It’s different from regular health insurance or Medicare. Most regular insurance plans do not cover long-term care.

With LTC insurance, you pay a monthly premium. In return, if you ever need care, your insurance helps pay for:

• In-home care

• Assisted living

• Nursing home care

• Some types of adult day care or hospice care

That way, your savings stay protected, and your family doesn’t have to carry the full burden.

What Affects the Cost of Long-Term Care Insurance?

The cost of long-term care insurance depends on several things. Your age is a big factor. Younger people usually pay less than older people.

Your health also matters — healthier people often get lower prices. The more care you want covered, the more the policy will cost. Where you live also makes a difference, since care is more expensive in some states than others.

Other details like how long you want your benefits to last, or how long you want to wait before benefits begin (called the elimination period), can also change your insurance cost.

Because so many things affect the price, it can be hard to figure out how much coverage you need,  that’s where our tool comes in.

In summary:

• Your age (younger = cheaper)

• Your health (healthy people pay less)

• The amount of coverage you want

• Your location (some states are more expensive)

• The waiting period before benefits start

• The maximum benefit amount per day or month

This is why it’s helpful to use a tool like our long-term care insurance cost calculator to get a better idea of what’s right for you.

How the Calculator Works

Our long term care insurance cost calculator is simple to use.

You just tell us:

1. Your state or city

2. Your age

3. What kind of care you expect (home care, assisted living, nursing home)

4. How long you want coverage to last (for example, 3 years or 5 years)

5. Your budget or savings goals

Then, the calculator looks at real data, based on the Genworth 2024 Cost of Care Survey and other trusted sources, and shows:

• How much that type of care costs where you live

• What your total care might cost over the years

• How much LTC insurance you may need to cover it

You can see the results in monthly, daily, and annual breakdowns. The tool also gives you low, median, and high estimates based on your area.

Why This Tool Is Helpful

Many people don’t think about long-term care until they need it. But by then, it may be too late to get insurance. This is why it’s important to plan early. Our cost of long term care insurance calculator gives you a clear and simple way to do just that.

You don’t have to guess anymore. You don’t need to talk to a salesperson or fill out a form just to see some numbers.

With our tool, you can quickly find out how much care costs in your area and what kind of insurance might help. It’s fast, free, and built to help regular people make smart decisions.

Example: A 65-Year-Old in Texas

Let’s say you’re 65 and live in Texas. In Texas, home health care costs about $22 per hour. If this person needs care for 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, that’s $2,200 each month.

Over a year, that’s more than $26,000. For three years of care, the total cost could be nearly $80,000.

With this calculator, you would see that cost and be able to start thinking about a long-term care insurance plan that covers that amount.

You could also compare this to the cost of assisted living or nursing home care in their area.

Your LTC insurance could help cover most or all of this, depending on your plan.

Use the cost of long term care insurance calculator to get a personalized estimate.

Who Should Use This Tool?

You should try our long-term care insurance cost calculator if:

You’re age 50+ and planning your future. You’re caring for a parent or grandparent. You’re thinking about getting LTC insurance. You want to compare care costs in different cities. You want to protect your savings from big care bills

Even if you’re not ready to buy insurance today, the tool helps you understand your risk and prepare early.

What’s Included in the Calculator?

We use real numbers based on trusted data. The calculator includes:

• Costs for homemaker services, personal care, and home health aides

• Median rates for assisted living and nursing homes

• Daily, monthly, and yearly rates for each type of care

• Local data for every U.S. state and many major cities

You can also download a free PDF report of your results to share with family or a financial advisor.

Why Use Our Long-Term Care Insurance Cost Calculator?

There are many “guesswork” calculators online. But ours is based on real care data, not sales pitches.

Here’s why people love it:

• Easy to use — no sign-up required

• Based on latest cost surveys

• Personalized to your location and age

• Built by real experts in home care and financial planning

• Helps you plan smarter and earlier

Whether you’re planning for yourself or helping a loved one, our long term care insurance cost calculator gives you the answers you need fast and clearly.

Try It Today — It’s Free

Don’t wait until care is needed to understand the costs.
Use our cost of long term care insurance calculator today and get clear answers for tomorrow.