LTC -

How Do You Purchase LTC Insurance?

Three important points:

First, there is no "best" policy. The most cost effective policy varies, depending upon benefits, age, state of residence and budget. You must compare policies to find the most cost effective one for you.

Second, group LTC policies are rarely your best choice. This includes policies available from your employer, labor union or association. Compare group policies with the best available individual policies to find out if you are actually getting a good deal. In my experience, you are not.

Third, Arthur Stein, the author of this web site, is a LTC insurance consultant and broker. I can help you purchase a policy if you are a resident of California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia.

To contact me, click here.

My specialty is consulting on and selling LTC insurance. I provide my clients with a unique service: I compare policies from at least four different companies (out of the ten companies I represent) and help clients pick the one that best fits their needs. I don’t care which company’s policy I sell, as long as it is the right one.

My goal is to be "one-stop shopping." By fairly presenting policies from all the best companies, I eliminate the need for clients to see multiple agents.

The advantages are:
--You save hours (or days) doing your own comparisons.
--You choose the most cost effective policy for your situation.
--The premium is the same whether you buy from me or another agent.

Purchasing LTC insurance is a difficult and frequently emotional choice. Emotional because it forces you to face unpleasant issues such as:

Needing help to eat, go to the bathroom, etc.,
Leaving your home,
Living in a nursing home,
Depending upon or taking care of a spouse, relative or friend, and
Spending money on insurance you hope you will never need.

Difficult because:

There are over 100 companies that sell LTC insurance, and most companies have more than one policy available. Many companies have four or more policies. And each of those policies may differ between states in important or not so important ways.
There are a variety of potential benefits available, and you need a high level of expertise to determine which benefits are significant and which are not. Small differences among these policies can make a big difference in determining when you qualify for benefits and what percentage of the maximum daily benefit that you receive.

You have two choices:

Do it yourself
Hire an insurance broker, insurance agent, financial planner, CPA or lawyer to do it for you.
An insurance broker (independent insurance agent) represents more than one company and is supposed to research which company and policy is best for you. An agent (captive agent) represents only one company, and sells you policies from that company whether or not it is the most cost effective in your situation.

Very few people are able to do this on their own. They don't lack the intelligence, but they do lack the time, patience and background knowledge to sort out the choices.

Their are two ways to hire someone to help you:

Pay a fee (usually hourly) to a financial planner, lawyer or CPA do the necessary research. Because this is a such a difficult task, you should expect to pay a lot.
Find a trustworthy insurance broker who specializes in LTC insurance. Since the broker is paid a commission, there is no cost to you to use his/her expertise.

Remember, the premium will be the same whether you buy directly from the company after doing your own research or from a broker or agent.

Here's a pitch: I would be happy to help you to do this, at no cost to you because I am an insurance broker, paid by commission when you buy a policy from me.

Please contact me if you are interested. Just click here.

Copyright 2005 Arthur Stein. All Rights Reserved.
No reproduction without permission. Contact astein@ltcguide.com





How Do You Purchase LTC Insurance? Three important points: First, there is no "best" policy. The most cost effective policy varies, depending upon benefits, age, state of residence and budget. You must compare policies to find the most cost effective one for you. Second, group LTC policies are rarely your best choice. This includes policies available from your employer, labor union or association. Compare group policies with the best available individual policies to find out if you are actually getting a good deal. In my experience, you are not. Third, Arthur Stein, the author of this web site, is a LTC insurance consultant and broker. I can help you purchase a policy if you are a resident of California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia. To contact me, click here. My specialty is consulting on and selling LTC insurance. I provide my clients with a unique service: I compare policies from at least four different companies (out of the ten companies I represent) and help clients pick the one that best fits their needs. I don’t care which company’s policy I sell, as long as it is the right one. My goal is to be "one-stop shopping." By fairly presenting policies from all the best companies, I eliminate the need for clients to see multiple agents. The advantages are: --You save hours (or days) doing your own comparisons. --You choose the most cost effective policy for your situation. --The premium is the same whether you buy from me or another agent. Purchasing LTC insurance is a difficult and frequently emotional choice. Emotional because it forces you to face unpleasant issues such as: Needing help to eat, go to the bathroom, etc., Leaving your home, Living in a nursing home, Depending upon or taking care of a spouse, relative or friend, and Spending money on insurance you hope you will never need. Difficult because: There are over 100 companies that sell LTC insurance, and most companies have more than one policy available. Many companies have four or more policies. And each of those policies may differ between states in important or not so important ways. There are a variety of potential benefits available, and you need a high level of expertise to determine which benefits are significant and which are not. Small differences among these policies can make a big difference in determining when you qualify for benefits and what percentage of the maximum daily benefit that you receive. You have two choices: Do it yourself Hire an insurance broker, insurance agent, financial planner, CPA or lawyer to do it for you. An insurance broker (independent insurance agent) represents more than one company and is supposed to research which company and policy is best for you. An agent (captive agent) represents only one company, and sells you policies from that company whether or not it is the most cost effective in your situation. Very few people are able to do this on their own. They don't lack the intelligence, but they do lack the time, patience and background knowledge to sort out the choices. Their are two ways to hire someone to help you: Pay a fee (usually hourly) to a financial planner, lawyer or CPA do the necessary research. Because this is a such a difficult task, you should expect to pay a lot. Find a trustworthy insurance broker who specializes in LTC insurance. Since the broker is paid a commission, there is no cost to you to use his/her expertise. Remember, the premium will be the same whether you buy directly from the company after doing your own research or from a broker or agent. Here's a pitch: I would be happy to help you to do this, at no cost to you because I am an insurance broker, paid by commission when you buy a policy from me. Please contact me if you are interested. Just click here. Copyright 2005 Arthur Stein. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission. Contact astein@ltcguide.com