For more than 30 years, ACACIA Insurance has helped Indiana residents plan for their long-term care needs. As fully independent advisors, we compare long-term care insurance plans and highly rated companies to provide personalized, unbiased recommendations.
We review benefits, features, and pricing to help you choose the long-term care insurance coverage that fits your goals and your budget.
Compare My OptionsLong-term care costs vary across Indiana. Nursing homes show the widest gap. A private room averages $141,832 a year in Northwest Indiana and $92,905 in Terre Haute. The table below shows 2026 figures for the state and its six largest regions. Open the list to see all 14.
Long-Term Care Costs in Indiana 2026 | |||
| Region | Nursing Home (private room) annual / monthly | Assisted Living (private room) annual / monthly | Home Health Aide (44 hrs/week) annual / monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Average | $107,820 $8,985 a month | $65,578 $5,465 a month | $78,446 $6,537 a month |
| Fort Wayne | $114,897 $9,575 a month | $58,509 $4,876 a month | $85,734 $7,145 a month |
| Indianapolis | $112,502 $9,375 a month | $72,024 $6,002 a month | $84,865 $7,072 a month |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette | $118,312 $9,859 a month | $67,948 $5,662 a month | $75,951 $6,329 a month |
| Northwest Indiana | $141,832 $11,819 a month | $83,159 $6,930 a month | $80,724 $6,727 a month |
| South Bend-Mishawaka | $121,327 $10,111 a month | $66,022 $5,502 a month | $74,011 $6,168 a month |
| Southern Indiana Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Washington | $118,599 $9,883 a month | $69,000 $5,750 a month | $78,265 $6,522 a month |
| Source: Nationwide Financial 2026 Cost of Care Survey (HVS), accessed October 13, 2026. Monthly figures are the annual cost divided by twelve. | |||
| Region | Nursing Home (private room) annual / monthly | Assisted Living (private room) annual / monthly | Home Health Aide (44 hrs/week) annual / monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | $107,421 $8,952 a month | $60,840 $5,070 a month | $68,713 $5,726 a month |
| Columbus | $100,485 $8,374 a month | $65,042 $5,420 a month | $71,889 $5,991 a month |
| Elkhart-Goshen | $113,716 $9,476 a month | $64,359 $5,363 a month | $78,005 $6,500 a month |
| Fort Wayne | $114,897 $9,575 a month | $58,509 $4,876 a month | $85,734 $7,145 a month |
| Indianapolis | $112,502 $9,375 a month | $72,024 $6,002 a month | $84,865 $7,072 a month |
| Kokomo | $100,975 $8,415 a month | $64,704 $5,392 a month | $82,705 $6,892 a month |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette | $118,312 $9,859 a month | $67,948 $5,662 a month | $75,951 $6,329 a month |
| Michigan City-La Porte | $131,114 $10,926 a month | $65,724 $5,477 a month | $73,020 $6,085 a month |
| Muncie | $100,829 $8,402 a month | $78,820 $6,568 a month | $79,161 $6,597 a month |
| Northwest Indiana | $141,832 $11,819 a month | $83,159 $6,930 a month | $80,724 $6,727 a month |
| South Bend-Mishawaka | $121,327 $10,111 a month | $66,022 $5,502 a month | $74,011 $6,168 a month |
| Southeast Indiana Dearborn County area | $128,370 $10,698 a month | $69,992 $5,833 a month | $76,790 $6,399 a month |
| Southern Indiana Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Washington | $118,599 $9,883 a month | $69,000 $5,750 a month | $78,265 $6,522 a month |
| Terre Haute | $92,905 $7,742 a month | $68,460 $5,705 a month | $76,209 $6,351 a month |
Medicare covers a skilled nursing facility only after a hospital stay of three days or more. Days 1 through 20 cost you nothing. Days 21 through 100 cost $217 a day in 2026. After day 100, you pay the full bill. Help with bathing, dressing or eating does not qualify when it is the only care you need.
Indiana Medicaid pays for a nursing home only after your savings are nearly gone. A single applicant may keep $2,000 in countable resources. A spouse at home may keep half of the couple’s assets, within a floor of $32,532 and a cap of $162,660.
A private nursing home room in Indiana averages $107,820 a year, about 7% below the national average of $115,988. Assisted living runs $65,578 a year. Both figures come from the Nationwide Financial 2026 Cost of Care Survey.
Learn more about Medicare and custodial care ➜
What is the right age to buy long-term care insurance? No single age fits everyone. Health, budget and goals all shape the answer. These patterns hold for most Indiana buyers:
Nursing home costs in Indiana rise about 3.5% a year, in line with the national rate. Northwest Indiana runs near 5%. South Bend, Lafayette and Michigan City run closer to 4%. Those increases build on each other until the day you need care. Inflation protection lets your benefit grow to keep pace.
Already past 65? Do not assume it is too late. Carriers underwrite to different standards, and products vary just as widely. Plenty of applicants at that age still qualify. A licensed specialist can review your situation and put real numbers next to it.
Find Out If You QualifyIndiana residents can choose from several long-term care insurance options, each designed to help cover care at home, in assisted living, or in a nursing facility. Understanding how traditional long-term care insurance, hybrid life/LTC policies, LTC annuities, and short-term care plans differ can help you decide which type fits your budget, health, and long-term planning goals.
What It Is: A standalone policy specifically designed to cover comprehensive long-term care expenses, including in-home care, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. These policies are fully portable and provide coverage wherever you receive care.
Coverage Benefits: Provides the most extensive long-term care coverage per dollar spent with flexible daily or monthly benefit amounts for your selected benefit period. Ideal for Indiana residents planning comprehensive care coverage.
Premium Structure: Recurring payments (monthly, quarterly, or annually). Premiums may experience rate adjustments over time based on insurance company claims experience.
Health Requirements: Requires full medical underwriting with stricter health qualifications than hybrid options. Your current health can significantly impact eligibility and premium costs for Indiana applicants.
Tax Advantages for Indiana Residents: Premiums for tax-qualified long-term care insurance policies may qualify as medical expenses for federal tax deductions (subject to income thresholds). Indiana also allows a state deduction for Partnership policy premiums. Benefits received are generally tax-free.
What It Is: A permanent life insurance policy with an added LTC benefit rider that allows policyholders to access the death benefit early for qualified long-term care expenses, regardless of where care is received.
Coverage Benefits: Typically provides 2 to 4% of the death benefit monthly for long-term care with guaranteed cash value growth. Unused benefits pass to beneficiaries tax-free.
Premium Structure: Guaranteed level premiums that NEVER increase. Higher initial cost than traditional LTC insurance but protected from future rate increases. Can provide important stability for Indiana residents on fixed incomes.
Health Requirements: Moderate medical underwriting with more flexible health guidelines than traditional LTC insurance, making qualification easier for many Indiana applicants with health issues.
Tax Advantages for Indiana Residents: Can utilize 1035 exchanges from appropriate existing policies without tax consequences and can be funded with qualified retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k)s).
What It Is: A fixed rate or indexed deferred annuity contract with an integrated long-term care benefit rider, ideal for those seeking asset protection with a simplified approval process. Coverage is portable and can be used anywhere care is needed.
Coverage Benefits: Typically multiplies your annuity value by 2 to 3 times for long-term care expenses. For example, a $100,000 annuity might provide $200,000-$300,000 in LTC coverage. If not exhausted for healthcare, the annuity value transfers to your estate at death.
Premium Structure: Can be purchased with a single premium payment with NO future premium payments or rate increases. Best for Indiana residents with existing assets to reposition for long-term care planning.
Health Requirements: Simplified underwriting with the most lenient health qualifications, sometimes requiring only a phone interview rather than medical exams or records review. Ideal for Indiana residents with health concerns.
Tax Advantages for Indiana Residents: Supports tax-free 1035 exchanges from existing annuities, and LTC benefits are generally received tax-free under current federal tax rules.
What It Is: A policy that provides coverage for care in a nursing home, assisted living, or at home for a shorter duration, typically up to 12 months. Coverage is portable and can be used wherever you need short-term care.
Coverage Benefits: Helps cover costs for short-term care needs, including recovery from surgery, illness, or injury. Most policies have a 0-day deductible with benefits paid as soon as you qualify. This bridges gaps before long-term care insurance or Medicare coverage begins for services like home health aides.
Premium Structure: Generally lower than long-term care insurance due to the shorter benefit period, making it an affordable option for many Indiana families.
Health Requirements: Often features simplified underwriting with fewer health questions, making it easier to qualify. Very helpful for Indiana residents who may not meet traditional long-term care insurance health or age requirements.
The Indiana Long-Term Care Partnership protects your savings. It offers two kinds of protection. The one you get depends on how much coverage you buy.
Total asset protection comes first. Buy a policy whose initial policy amount meets the state-set amount for the year it takes effect. In 2026, that amount is $548,820. When your benefits run out, Indiana Medicaid does not count your assets in deciding if you qualify. You keep them, however much they are worth. Income and the other eligibility rules still apply. A total asset policy needs 5% compound inflation protection.
Dollar-for-dollar protection applies when you buy less. Each dollar your policy pays in benefits protects a dollar of your assets. Suppose your policy has paid $200,000. You could keep $200,000 in assets and still qualify. This kind of policy can use 5% compound or CPI inflation protection. Buyers 75 and older can also choose 5% simple.
The state-set amount rises every year. Your policy keeps the amount from the year it took effect. A policy that took effect in 2020 needs $409,537. One that takes effect in 2026 needs $548,820.
Every Partnership policy must be tax-qualified. It must pay a daily benefit of at least $115 in 2026.
If you move, your benefits go with you. Asset protection in another state depends on that state’s agreement with Indiana. Where one exists, it honors the protection dollar-for-dollar only.
That is the real appeal. Your policy pays first, and if it ever runs out, the savings it shielded remain yours.
Learn how Long-Term Care Partnership programs work nationwide ➜
Indiana residents have access to long-term care insurance from a wide range of trusted, financially strong carriers. We work with multiple top-rated LTC insurance providers to help you find a plan that fits your age, health, and budget, whether you’re looking for a traditional policy or a hybrid life + LTC option.
Below is a list of long-term care insurance companies available in Indiana:
USAA member? Explore USAA long-term care coverage ➜
AARP member? Review AARP long-term care insurance ➜
These companies offer a mix of traditional and asset-based (hybrid) long-term care insurance policies. Availability and pricing vary based on your age, health history, and the type of coverage you need.
Read reviews and ratings of long-term care insurance companies ➜
Traditional long-term care insurance costs in Indiana range from $1,500 to $5,000+ annually, depending on your age, health, and coverage choices. Most people pay between $2,000 and $3,000 per year for comprehensive coverage.
Several factors influence your premium:
Our licensed Indiana professionals offer objective guidance on a wide range of long-term care insurance products and strategies. You’ll receive personalized service including:
✔ Finding the right coverage that fits your budget and protection needs
✔ Getting matched with Indiana’s top-rated carriers based on your specific situation
✔ Helping you secure coverage even with pre-existing health conditions
Most Indiana buyers pay $2,000 to $3,000 a year for traditional coverage. That is about $167 to $250 a month. The full range runs $1,500 to $5,000 a year, or $125 to $417 a month. Your age, health, benefit amount, waiting period and inflation option set the price.
A private nursing home room averages $8,985 a month statewide in 2026. Assisted living runs $5,465. Those figures come from the Nationwide Financial 2026 Cost of Care Survey. Over a year, they total $107,820 and $65,578.
Yes. A home health aide in Indiana averages $78,446 a year at 44 hours a week, or $6,537 a month. Traditional, hybrid life and LTC annuity coverage can all pay for care at home. Benefits usually begin once you need help with two of six daily activities, such as bathing or dressing, or need supervision because of cognitive impairment. A waiting period you choose at purchase applies first. Short-term care insurance, also sold in Indiana, can cover home care too.
It is the stronger of Indiana’s two Partnership protections. Your policy must reach the state-set amount for the year it takes effect. In 2026, that is $548,820. When benefits run out, Indiana Medicaid does not count your assets. A smaller policy earns dollar-for-dollar protection. Each dollar it pays protects a dollar of your assets.
A private nursing home room in the Indianapolis region averages $112,502 a year, or $9,375 a month. In the Fort Wayne region it averages $114,897, or $9,575. Assisted living runs $72,024 a year in Indianapolis and $58,509 in Fort Wayne. A home health aide averages $84,865 in Indianapolis and $85,734 in Fort Wayne.
Last updated: October 13, 2026
Written by: Craig Matesky, President, ACACIA Insurance
Reviewed by: Mike Berger, National Sales Manager
Sources: