Long-Term Care
Planning for the care you may need, and how to pay for it without depleting your estate.
What Medicare Does Not Cover: The Long-Term Care Gap Families Discover Too Late
Medicare does not pay for most long-term care, and the cost of a nursing home now tops $114,000 a year. Understanding this gap before a crisis can change how families plan.
All Long-Term Care Articles17 more
Skilled Care vs. Custodial Care: The Medicare Distinction That Surprises Families
Medicare draws a clear line between medical care and the daily help many older adults eventually need. Understanding that line early can prevent costly surprises later.
July 19, 2026
Why Long-Term Care Is Different From Medical Care, and Why That Distinction Matters
Medicare defines long-term care as mostly non-medical help with daily tasks, and that definition shapes what insurance will and will not pay for. Understanding the difference makes planning conversations far clearer.
July 12, 2026
Why Medicare Treats Long-Term Care Differently Than You Might Expect
Medicare defines long-term care more narrowly than many families assume, and most of it is non-medical care that Medicare does not pay for. Understanding the difference between skilled and custodial care can make future planning far less chaotic.
July 5, 2026
Why Medicare Doesn't Cover Long-Term Care: Understanding the Line Between Medical and Custodial Care
Medicare draws a clear distinction between short-term medical care and the everyday personal help most people eventually need. Understanding that difference early can make later decisions less confusing.
June 28, 2026
Why Medicare Won't Pay for Long-Term Care, and What Actually Might
Medicare and Medicaid are different programs with different rules, and the type of care you need determines what gets covered. Understanding that distinction is the foundation of any long-term care plan.
June 21, 2026
Why Medicare Doesn't Cover Long-Term Care: Understanding the Difference Between Skilled and Custodial Care
Medicare and long-term care are often mentioned together, but they are not the same safety net. Understanding how Medicare distinguishes between skilled care and custodial care can prevent costly surprises.
June 14, 2026
Medicaid and Long-Term Care: What Estate Recovery Means for Families
Medicaid pays for most long-term care in the United States, but families are often surprised by estate recovery rules that can affect what heirs inherit. Here is how the program works and where the exceptions lie.
June 7, 2026
What Long-Term Care Really Means: The Family Work That Comes Before the Nursing Home
Long-term care often begins as unpaid help from family members, not a facility. Understanding the risk early gives you more options than a crisis allows.
May 31, 2026
The Long-Term Care Gap: Why Medicare Won't Cover It and How to Plan Ahead
Long-term care is a retirement risk many Americans underestimate, largely because Medicare does not cover ongoing custodial care. Here is how the costs add up and the main ways families prepare.
May 24, 2026
The Hidden Cost of Long-Term Care Starts at Home, Not in a Nursing Facility
Long-term care planning is often framed around nursing home bills, but the earliest and largest costs frequently fall on family caregivers. Understanding both the unpaid and professional costs can help families preserve more options.
May 17, 2026
The Trillion-Dollar Cost of Family Caregiving Most People Never Count
Unpaid family caregiving in the United States is now valued at more than $1 trillion a year, a hidden cost that reshapes household finances long before anyone considers professional care.
May 10, 2026
Genworth 2024 Cost of Care Survey: Nursing Home and Home Care Costs Reach New Highs
The Genworth and CareScout 2024 Cost of Care Survey found that long-term care costs rose across every care category, with private nursing home rooms and assisted living facilities seeing the sharpest increases.
March 4, 2025
Long-Term Care Insurance vs. Self-Insuring: What Each Option Actually Requires
National median nursing home costs now exceed $111,000 per year, according to the Genworth and CareScout 2024 Cost of Care Survey — making long-term care one of the largest uninsured financial risks facing older Americans.
March 4, 2025
Hybrid Life/LTC Policies Are Growing Fast: Here's What's Behind the Surge
As traditional long-term care insurance continues to shrink, hybrid policies that combine life insurance or an annuity with long-term care benefits have become the fastest-growing solution in the space.
January 30, 2025
Understanding Long-Term Care Before You Need It
What long-term care actually covers, what it costs, and why waiting until you need it to plan for it is one of the most common — and costly — mistakes in retirement.
January 15, 2025
Medicaid Asset Protection for Long-Term Care: What You Need to Know
When a family member needs extended nursing home or home-based care, Medicaid's asset rules — including the five-year look-back period, property exemptions, and spousal protections — determine eligibility and what can be preserved.
November 15, 2024
After Washington State's Long-Term Care Tax, Other States Are Watching—and Moving
Washington's WA Cares Fund became the nation's first state-run long-term care insurance program—and as its implementation continues, other states are advancing similar legislation with lessons learned from the pioneer.
November 5, 2024Also from REN
The First-Year RMD Rule: Why You Might Face Two Required Distributions in One Year
October 15, 2026Power of Attorney: The Estate-Planning Document That Is Not a Will
October 14, 2026Why Your Earnings Record Is the Foundation of Your Social Security Estimate
October 13, 2026Understanding Medicare Open Enrollment: What the October 15 to December 7 Window Really Means
October 12, 2026The Eldercare Locator: A Free Federal Service That Connects Families With Local Care Resources
October 11, 2026Free Weekly Briefing
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