Long-Term Care Cost Estimator
Medicare does not pay for most custodial long-term care — the help with bathing, dressing and daily living that about 70% of people turning 65 will eventually need (Medicare.gov, ACL.gov). Project what that care could cost by the time you need it.
A projection from your own inputs — not a quote, a prediction, or a statement about your health. Nothing you enter is stored.
Frequently asked questions
Does Medicare pay for long-term care?
Mostly no. Medicare covers short-term skilled care after a qualifying hospital stay — not the custodial help with bathing, dressing and daily living that most people eventually need (Medicare.gov). That gap is the entire reason this calculator exists.
How likely am I to need long-term care?
The Administration for Community Living reports that about 70% of people turning 65 will need some type of long-term care services in their lifetimes (ACL.gov). Likelihood is not the hard part of the planning conversation — duration and cost are.
What inflation rate should I assume?
Care costs have historically outpaced general inflation, and the assumption matters enormously over a twenty-year horizon. Rather than baking in a number that would quietly become wrong, this tool asks you for it — try 3%, 4% and 5% and notice how far apart the answers land.
What are my options for funding it?
Traditional long-term care insurance, hybrid life/LTC policies, and asset-based designs — each with different underwriting, premium guarantees and what happens to the money if you never need care. Virginia is CLTC-certified and this comparison is the core of her practice.
Method: compound growth of the monthly cost you enter at the inflation rate you enter, over the years you enter, multiplied by twelve months and your assumed duration. Nothing here is baked in, because local care costs and inflation assumptions vary too much to hard-code honestly. Need statistic: about 70% of people turning 65 will need some type of long-term care services in their lifetimes (U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL.gov)). Read how the funding options compare.
Want Virginia to run these numbers with you?
Free consultation — CLTC and RSSA® certified, licensed in 30 states.
More calculators on the free tools hub, or read the background in Medicare 101.