Younger applicants for long-term-care insurance are being turned down at higher rates than before, according to a new study by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI).

At the same time, the study, which evaluated leading LTC providers, found that people age 70 and over are rejected at the highest rate, 44%, a figure that didn’t change all that much from a similar survey done in 2014.

Existing health conditions are the most common reason they are rejected, according to the report. “Individuals mistakenly believe they can obtain long-term-care insurance protection at any age,” says Jesse Slome, director of AALTCI. “It is especially harder to health-qualify at older ages because our health changes and it rarely gets better as we age.”


Rejection rates for younger applicants did rise significantly on a percentage basis, the AALTCI found. The decline rate for individuals between ages 50 and 59 was 22% in 2017 versus 17% in 2014, according to Slome. The decline rate for applicants below age 50 was 20% in 2017 compared with 12% in 2014.

“Financial advisors need to educate their clients that they should apply for long-term care insurance at an earlier age to increase their chances of acceptance,” says Slome.