Sample annual premiums at 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75
Every figure in these tables comes from one policy type in the guide: an individual, tax qualified, comprehensive long term care policy with a $100 daily benefit. Tax qualified means the policy meets federal standards, and the Department says some or all of the premium for such a policy may be deductible as a medical expense on your federal and California income tax returns, depending on your age and the amount of the premium. Comprehensive is the Department's label for a policy that covers nursing facility care, assisted living and care at home. Each cell gives the lowest and the highest annual premium among the insurers that list a rate for that design, across every waiting period they list, with the number of those insurers below it. The guide still lists one insurer that stopped selling long term care insurance on October 1, 2025, according to its parent company's annual report, and its rates are left out of these tables. The guide lists rates for women and for men separately, so there is a table for each. These figures are the price of the insurance; for the cost of the care itself, see what long term care costs in California.
Women
| Age | 3 years | 3 years, 5% compound inflation | 5 years | 5 years, 5% compound inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 55 | $980 to $1,815, 7 insurers | $3,447 to $8,060, 7 insurers | $1,268 to $2,085, 5 insurers | $4,428 to $11,043, 5 insurers |
| Age 60 | $1,204 to $2,283, 7 insurers | $4,244 to $8,274, 7 insurers | $1,565 to $2,623, 5 insurers | $5,412 to $11,319, 5 insurers |
| Age 65 | $1,762 to $3,123, 7 insurers | $4,443 to $9,112, 7 insurers | $2,172 to $3,733, 5 insurers | $5,639 to $12,453, 5 insurers |
| Age 70 | $2,580 to $4,608, 7 insurers | $5,289 to $10,499, 7 insurers | $3,354 to $5,410, 5 insurers | $6,876 to $14,191, 5 insurers |
| Age 75 | $3,989 to $6,948, 7 insurers | $7,172 to $13,675, 7 insurers | $5,070 to $8,426, 5 insurers | $9,326 to $18,108, 5 insurers |
Men
| Age | 3 years | 3 years, 5% compound inflation | 5 years | 5 years, 5% compound inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 55 | $667 to $1,656, 7 insurers | $2,220 to $6,804, 7 insurers | $803 to $1,672, 5 insurers | $2,718 to $6,973, 5 insurers |
| Age 60 | $810 to $2,088, 7 insurers | $2,340 to $6,804, 7 insurers | $1,054 to $2,034, 5 insurers | $2,960 to $7,302, 5 insurers |
| Age 65 | $1,199 to $2,847, 7 insurers | $2,681 to $7,563, 7 insurers | $1,494 to $2,978, 5 insurers | $3,349 to $8,070, 5 insurers |
| Age 70 | $1,770 to $4,194, 7 insurers | $3,239 to $9,255, 7 insurers | $2,285 to $4,360, 5 insurers | $4,141 to $8,938, 5 insurers |
| Age 75 | $2,528 to $6,333, 7 insurers | $4,133 to $11,544, 7 insurers | $3,164 to $6,850, 5 insurers | $5,091 to $12,198, 5 insurers |
California Department of Insurance, 2025 Long-Term Care Insurance sample premiums, effective December 1, 2025, read November 10, 2026.
Traditional long term care premiums can rise after you buy; the Department of Insurance's rate history guide lists past increases by insurer. The tables also do not show the limits every policy has. A tax qualified policy starts paying only after a licensed health care practitioner certifies that you are expected to need substantial help with two of six activities of daily living for at least 90 days, or that you need substantial supervision due to severe cognitive impairment; it pays no more than its daily benefit and stops once its total benefit is used up; in its first six months it need not pay for a condition you were advised about or treated for in the six months before coverage began; and it has exclusions of its own. The outline of coverage that California requires an agent to hand you before any application lists them for that policy.
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What moves the price
Age. In these tables, premiums climb with the age you buy at, though a few rates with inflation protection hold level from 55 to 60. With 3 years of benefits, a woman's range is $980 to $1,815 a year at 55 and $3,989 to $6,948 at 75; a man's is $667 to $1,656 at 55 and $2,528 to $6,333 at 75. Gender. At every age and in every design in these tables, both the lowest and the highest premium are higher for women than for men. The guide also shows some rates as non-gender based, which it calls Unisex: those policy forms charge women and men the same. Benefit period. On every policy form in the guide that offers both, 5 years of benefits cost more than 3. At 60, a woman's range is $1,204 to $2,283 for 3 years and $1,565 to $2,623 for 5. Inflation protection. A benefit that grows 5% a year, compounded, costs considerably more at the start: at 60, a woman's 3 year design runs $1,204 to $2,283 without it and $4,244 to $8,274 with it. The Department's consumer guide says such policies cost more at first because the yearly increases in benefits are built in. Waiting period. The elimination period is the wait after you qualify for benefits before the policy starts paying, and you pay for care during it. The sample rates come with waits of 30, 42, 84 or 90 days, depending on the policy, and on every policy that offers more than one, the shorter wait costs more. On the policy at the low end of the 3 year range for a 60 year old woman, $1,204 a year comes with a 90 day wait, and the same policy costs $1,565 with a 30 day wait. Health and discounts. The guide asks nothing about your health, but your own premium can depend on it: the Department says each company's premium is based on a number of factors, including your age, the benefits you choose, how long you want benefits paid and, in some cases, a health condition you may have. It also notes that companies may offer discounts when both spouses or domestic partners buy, and for people who are healthy and do not use tobacco. Hybrid policies, which pair life insurance or an annuity with long term care benefits, are priced differently; our hybrid guide explains how they compare.
Can the premium go up after you buy?
Yes, traditional long term care premiums can rise after you buy. The Department of Insurance says every individual policy must be guaranteed renewable, so the insurer cannot cancel it because of your age or health, but the company keeps the right to raise premiums if the Department approves the increase. Policies now sold in California by the insurers it regulates fall under the state's rate stabilization law, which means the Department reviews premium rates actuarially and any increase faces added review and justification. Its rate history guide lists past increases by insurer. The Department suggests building an extra 10 to 20 percent into the premium you plan for, as a cushion against future increases, and cautions that a company that has never raised its rates may still do so.
The Partnership design in the guide
The 2025 guide also lists one California Partnership for Long-Term Care design, from a single insurer. The Partnership is a program of the state Department of Health Care Services. If you later need the state's help to pay for your care, a Partnership policy protects one dollar of your assets for every dollar it has paid in benefits, and the Department of Insurance says every Partnership-approved policy includes automatic inflation protection. The one insurer that lists a Partnership design stopped selling long term care insurance on October 1, 2025, according to its parent company's annual report, so this page shows no Partnership premiums, and we know of no insurer selling new Partnership policies in California today. For the companies approved to sell Partnership policies, the Department of Insurance refers readers to the Partnership itself. Goulson Insurance Services is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Partnership, the Department of Health Care Services or the Department of Insurance.
Compare Policies at No Cost
These tables show one policy type, in four fixed designs, from the sample rates in the Department's guide. Your own premium depends on the benefits and the waiting period you choose, your health, and the insurers that will accept you. Some insurers in the guide are fraternal societies that insure only their own members, so the lowest figure in a cell may not be open to every reader. Lara Goulson compares the long term care policies she can offer side by side with you, by phone or video, in English, Spanish or Hebrew, and if a policy is wrong for you, that is what you will hear. California's Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, HICAP, at 1-800-434-0222, also offers counseling on long term care insurance at no cost.
Call (818) 472-5484 to compare long term care policies at no cost.
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