Choosing the Right Long Term Care Insurance Company
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Choosing the right insurance carrier is one of the most important
decisions to make. The decision should not be on the cost of the policy
alone. Consider if your insurer will pay when you need care and if
they will still be in business when the need for your long term care
arises. Also consider if the long term care insurance company had
rate increases in the past or if the long term care insurance rates
have been stable.
Company Financial Strength and Size
The average age that most people will need long term care insurance
is 78. If you purchase long term care insurance when you are 55, you
may not need to make claims for another 23 years. You will want to
pick a long term care company that is financially strong enough and
large enough to be around for 23 years from now. Consumers can check
long term care insurance company rating and financial size online
including:
A.M. Best's Insurance
Reports;
Standard
and Poor's; and
Moody's.
Rate Stability
Long term care insurance companies cannot increase
your individual premium for changes in your age or health. However,
companies can
file a rate increase for a class of policyholders or all policy
holders on a specific contract form in any given state. Insurance
companies usually want to keep consumer confidence by keeping
rates
stable. Companies with high claim loss may be more likely to need
future rate increases. To get an idea of long term care insurance
companies’ claim loss, read the NAIC’s annual “Long-Term
Care Experience Report” showing actual claims loss ratios.
Consumers can also inquire if the company has had any previous
rate
increases.
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