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The best long-term care insurance companies in 2026 are Mutual of Omaha, Nationwide, New York Life, Northwestern Mutual, and Genworth, according to Money.com’s November 2026 review of 11 carriers across 25 sources. Mutual of Omaha leads for stand-alone policies, Nationwide for customization, and New York Life for financial strength, with an A++ rating from A.M. Best. The worst side of the market is not a single bad carrier: it is the carriers that stopped selling new policies, the in-force rate hikes that have hit existing policyholders, and the short-term care plans that look like long-term care but are not.
Long-term care is expensive enough to make the choice matter. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that paid long-term care costs about $121,000 for just under a year of care for adults 65 and older. A policy that pays $200 a day for three years covers about $219,000 of that exposure. The same policy bought at 55 can cost roughly $1,200 to $2,000 a year, while the same coverage bought at 70 can cost $2,800 or more. This guide compares the carriers still writing new policies, their financial strength, their prices, and the traps to avoid.
Which companies are the best for long-term care insurance in 2026?
Mutual of Omaha is the best choice for most buyers who want a traditional stand-alone policy, because it is one of only six companies still offering stand-alone long-term care plans, and it carries an A+ rating from A.M. Best, an A+ from S and P, and an A1 from Moody’s. It has written long-term care policies since 1987, and its two plans, MutualCare Custom Solution and MutualCare Secure Solution, pay monthly benefits from $1,500 to $10,000, with benefit pools from $50,000 to $500,000 and elimination periods from zero to 365 days. Nationwide is the best pick for buyers who want to shape the policy around their own situation, with hybrid life policies that pay a death benefit if care is never needed. New York Life is the strongest financially, with A++ from A.M. Best, AAA from Fitch, Aaa from Moody’s, and AA+ from S and P.
Genworth is the largest active writer of traditional long-term care insurance, with about 1.8 million policies in force, and it still accepts new applications from people aged 50 to 85. Its policies are now issued by CareScout Insurance Company, which carries no A.M. Best rating of its own, though its reinsurer is rated A+. Genworth offers daily benefits from $100 to $500, benefit periods of 3, 5, or 10 years or lifetime, and a shared care rider that lets spouses split benefits. Thrivent Financial holds an A++ from A.M. Best and prices competitively for healthy buyers in their 50s, with annual premiums typically in the $1,000 to $2,000 range for that group. National Guardian Life is a traditional carrier worth a quote for buyers who want a mutual company with strong ratings.
| Company | Policy type | A.M. Best rating | Best for | Issue ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual of Omaha | Traditional | A+ (Superior) | Stand-alone policies, customizable benefits | 25 to 79 |
| Nationwide | Hybrid life and annuity | A+ (Superior) | Policy customization, death benefit if care is unused | Varies by product |
| New York Life | Hybrid and traditional | A++ (Superior) | Financial strength, long-term stability | Varies by product |
| Northwestern Mutual | Hybrid | A++ (Superior) | Buyers who want a mutual company | Varies by product |
| Genworth | Traditional | Not rated; reinsurer A+ | Widest age and health range, online application | 40 to 65 standard; OmniFlex 45 to 89 |
| Thrivent Financial | Traditional | A++ (Superior) | Healthy buyers in their 50s, flexible underwriting | Varies by product |
| National Guardian Life | Traditional | A+ (Superior) | Mutual company, traditional coverage | Varies by product |
| Lincoln Financial | Hybrid life | A+ (Superior) | Hybrid life with care benefits | Varies by product |
| John Hancock | Hybrid life | A+ (Superior) | Hybrid policies through a large carrier | Varies by product |
Ratings verified September 2026 by LTC Insurance Consultants, which reviewed 15 companies. Seven of the companies on that list earn a Superior rating from A.M. Best. The table above is the shortlist a buyer should quote first, not an exhaustive list. Hybrid policies from Brighthouse Financial, OneAmerica, Securian Financial, and Global Atlantic also sell in this market, and Chubb and Trustmark sell through employers. Aetna and ManhattanLife sell short-term care, which is a different product with much shorter benefit periods, and it should not be confused with long-term care.
How much does long-term care insurance cost by age?
A healthy 55-year-old can expect roughly $1,200 to $2,000 a year for a traditional policy, a 58-year-old in good health pays about $2,600 to $3,200 a year for a $200 daily benefit with a 36-month period and a 5 percent inflation rider, and a 70-year-old with controlled hypertension can pay about $2,800 a year for similar coverage. A 55-year-old couple buying a combined $300,000 in coverage paid $4,200 to $5,800 a year in 2024, up from $3,100 to $4,000 four years earlier. Premiums rise about 5 percent a year after age 55, and they climb sharply after 60. Those figures are quoted ranges from broker and analyst reports, not live quotes, and your own price depends on age, health, benefit amount, benefit period, elimination period, and inflation protection.
The benefit design moves the price as much as age does. A $250 daily benefit with a 36-month period and a 5 percent compound inflation rider cost a 58-year-old man about $2,850 a year at Mutual of Omaha and about $3,100 a year at MassMutual in 2026 broker reporting. A 58-year-old woman with a $200 daily benefit, a 36-month period, and a 90-day elimination period paid about $2,600 a year at Genworth and about $2,750 a year at another large carrier in the same reporting. Shortening the benefit period to two years, lengthening the elimination period to 180 days, or dropping the inflation rider each cuts the premium, but each cut also cuts the protection. Our guide to long-term care insurance costs by age breaks the age curve down year by year.
What makes a long-term care company one of the worst?
No regulator publishes a ranked list of the worst long-term care insurers, so a responsible comparison has to define “worst” by the things that actually hurt policyholders. The first is rate hikes on policies already in force. Genworth filed for rate increases exceeding 45 percent on in-force policies in 2023 and 2024, and a 60-year-old man who bought a $200 a day benefit with a 90-day elimination period and a five-year benefit period in 2019 for $1,200 to $1,400 a year now pays roughly $1,800 to $2,100 a year for the same policy. Traditional long-term care premiums can rise over time with state approval, so a carrier with a history of large in-force increases is a real risk even if its new-business price looks good.
The second is a carrier that has stopped writing new policies or tightened underwriting so far that most applicants are declined. The market has contracted hard: no major insurer has launched a new long-term care product line since 2020, and only six companies still offer stand-alone policies. Mutual of Omaha has tightened underwriting so much that applicants with even minor health flags, such as controlled diabetes, past anxiety treatment, or cholesterol medication, face delays or outright decline. That is not a reason to avoid the carrier, but it is a reason to apply while you are healthy and to apply to more than one carrier at once.
The third is a policy that is not long-term care at all. Short-term care plans from Aetna and ManhattanLife cover recovery needs for months, not years, and they are priced for that shorter horizon. A buyer who mistakes one for a long-term care policy discovers the gap only when the benefit period ends. The fourth is a carrier with weak financial strength. A long-term care policy is a promise that may not be called on for 20 or 30 years, so the carrier’s A.M. Best rating matters more here than in almost any other line of insurance. A carrier rated below A, or one like CareScout with no rating of its own, deserves a harder look at who actually backs the promise.
Traditional vs hybrid: which structure fits which buyer?
A traditional policy is pure insurance: you pay premiums, and if you need care, it pays benefits up to the pool you bought. If you never need care, the premiums are gone. That is the cheapest way to buy a given amount of coverage, and it is the right structure for a buyer who wants the most benefit per dollar and can accept that the money may never come back. Genworth, Mutual of Omaha, National Guardian Life, and Thrivent sell traditional policies.
A hybrid policy pairs long-term care benefits with a life insurance policy or an annuity. If you need care, the policy pays for it. If you never need care, your beneficiaries receive a death benefit or the annuity value. The premium is higher for the same care benefit, and the trade is certainty: the money is never wasted. Lincoln Financial, John Hancock, Brighthouse Financial, Nationwide, OneAmerica, and Securian Financial sell hybrid life policies, and Global Atlantic, Nationwide, and OneAmerica sell long-term care annuities. A buyer with a large taxable estate or a strong dislike of use-it-or-lose-it premiums usually prefers a hybrid. A buyer who wants the most coverage for the least annual premium usually prefers a traditional policy. Our guide to what long-term care insurance covers explains which settings and services each structure pays for.
When should you buy, and what should the policy include?
The best time to buy is typically in your mid-50s to early 60s, while you are still healthy and likely to qualify, and while the premium is still in the $1,200 to $2,000 a year range for a healthy applicant. Buying at 55 can save thousands over buying at 65, because premiums rise about 5 percent a year after 55 and underwriting gets stricter with every health event. Waiting until a diagnosis or a hospital stay usually means the policy is unavailable at any price. Our guide to when to buy long-term care insurance works through the age math in detail.
Four design choices matter most. First, the daily or monthly benefit should track the cost of care where you live, not the national average. Second, the benefit period should be at least three years, since most care episodes that exceed a year run two to three years. Third, the elimination period is the deductible in days: 90 days is the common choice, and a longer period cuts the premium but means you pay the first months yourself. Fourth, inflation protection is the difference between a policy that covers care in 2046 and one that does not: a 3 or 5 percent compound rider is the standard recommendation for buyers under 65. A 5 percent rider costs more now and is the reason the premium figures in this guide look high. Without it, a $200 daily benefit buys far less care in 20 years. Long-term care premiums are partly tax deductible under the 2026 rules, and our guide to the 2026 long-term care tax deduction covers the age-based limits.
A worked example: a 55-year-old couple does the math
Take a healthy 55-year-old couple buying a combined $300,000 in coverage, which is roughly $200 a day each for three years with a 5 percent inflation rider. In 2024 that policy cost $4,200 to $5,800 a year. If they keep it for 25 years and pay an average of $5,000 a year, they will have paid about $125,000 in premiums by age 80. If one of them needs a year of care at the HHS average of about $121,000, the policy pays for it. If both need care, the $300,000 pool covers about two and a half years of the average cost. If neither needs care, a traditional policy returns nothing, and a hybrid policy returns a death benefit.
Compare that with self-insuring. The same $5,000 a year invested at 5 percent for 25 years grows to roughly $238,000, which sounds better until you run the other scenario: a care need at 62, seven years after buying, when the invested pot holds only about $41,000 and the policy would already pay the full $300,000 pool. Insurance is not an investment. It is a transfer of the worst-case risk, and the worst case here is needing care early. If the premiums would strain the household budget, the honest alternative is a smaller policy, a longer elimination period, or the alternatives in our guide to long-term care insurance alternatives, which covers hybrid annuities, home equity, and Medicaid planning.
Key takeaways
Mutual of Omaha leads for stand-alone traditional policies, Nationwide for hybrid customization, and New York Life for financial strength, with Genworth the largest active writer and Thrivent the value pick for healthy buyers in their 50s. Buy in your mid-50s to early 60s, before underwriting tightens and premiums climb. Judge a carrier by its A.M. Best rating, its history of in-force rate increases, and whether it is still writing new policies at all. And treat “worst” as a set of warning signs, rate hike history, exited markets, short-term plans sold as long-term cover, and weak financial strength, rather than a single name on a list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best long-term care insurance company in 2026?
Money.com’s November 2026 review names Mutual of Omaha the best for stand-alone long-term care insurance, Nationwide the best for policy customization, and New York Life the best for financial stability. Genworth is the largest active writer of traditional policies, with about 1.8 million in force. The right carrier depends on your age, health, and whether you want a traditional or hybrid policy.
How much does long-term care insurance cost per month?
A healthy 55-year-old typically pays about $100 to $170 a month, a 58-year-old in good health pays about $215 to $265 a month for a $200 daily benefit with a 36-month period and a 5 percent inflation rider, and a 70-year-old can pay about $235 a month or more. A 55-year-old couple buying a combined $300,000 in coverage paid $350 to $485 a month in 2024. Premiums rise about 5 percent a year after age 55.
Can long-term care insurance premiums go up after I buy?
Yes, traditional long-term care premiums can rise over time with state approval. Genworth filed for rate increases exceeding 45 percent on in-force policies in 2023 and 2024. Hybrid policies with a fixed premium structure are less exposed to increases, which is one reason buyers accept their higher starting price.
What is the worst long-term care insurance company?
No regulator publishes a ranked worst list, so judge by warning signs instead: a history of large rate increases on existing policies, a carrier that stopped writing new policies, weak financial strength ratings, or a short-term care plan sold as if it were long-term cover. A carrier rated below A by A.M. Best, or one with no rating of its own, deserves a harder look before you buy.
Is long-term care insurance worth it at 60?
It can be, if you are healthy enough to qualify and the premium fits your budget. A 60-year-old man buying a $200 a day benefit with a 90-day elimination period and a five-year benefit period pays roughly $1,800 to $2,100 a year at Genworth. Compare that with the HHS estimate of about $121,000 for just under a year of paid care. The case weakens if premiums would strain your budget or if health issues push you into a rated policy.
What is the difference between traditional and hybrid long-term care insurance?
A traditional policy is pure insurance: you pay premiums and it pays care benefits, and the premiums are gone if you never need care. A hybrid policy pairs care benefits with a life insurance policy or annuity, so your beneficiaries receive a death benefit or annuity value if care is never needed. Traditional policies cost less for the same care benefit; hybrids cost more but guarantee the money is never wasted.
