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Long Term Care Insurance Policy Premiums are determined by the type of policy chosen, daily benefit amount to be paid, your age, number of years the policy will pay benefits, choice of inflation protection and the number of days after you qualify for the benefits before the company will start to pay benefits. If you have a pre-existing condition some companies will insure you for a higher premium. The combination of these factors decides your LTCI premium.

Different LTCI companies calculate differently the cost of benefits you choose. This reason can result in significant differences between premiums for similar benefits. For example a company may calculate the premium based on every $10 of the daily benefit you choose. The premium would be $950 per year for a daily benefit of $100, if the company charged $95 for each $10 of daily benefit. With another company the annual premium would rise to $1,500 for a similar package of benefits with a cost of $150.

The method and amount of inflation protection chosen will also influence your LTCI premium. For those in their 40s and 50s not expecting to need care for several years this nearly doubles their cost. Your probability of developing health conditions which make you ineligible to apply for new benefits increases with age but your ability to change LTCI policy diminishes as you age.

Your LTCI premiums can increase over the years. When you buy a LTCI policy your agent provides you with a personal worksheet which explains in detail among other things, the rate increases the company has had since 1990. In which states and by how much the rates increased is also stated in this sheet. The rate increases for every company that sells LTCI is listed on the California Department of Insurance website. In 2000 California passed legislation, making it difficult for LTC insurance companies to increase future premiums.

It became mandatory in 2006 for companies filing for premium increases over a certain amount to offer their policy holders the choice of stop paying their premium and keep the benefits equal to the total amount of premiums already paid. Only a small amount of care will be financed by the total amount of premiums you have already paid. You will not lose all your benefits just because of a premium increase you were unable to pay.

Talk with your company for lower premiums by reducing some of your policy benefits. Your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) office can help you if you have received a premium increase notice or you need to lower your premium.

Learn more about long term care insurance. Stop by Maria Smith’s site where you can find out all about long term care health insurance and what it can do for you.