Size the care need first, then compare traditional LTC, linked-benefit coverage, and permanent life with a chronic illness or LTC rider.
▶ Watch: BackNine in 5: Long-Term Care (5 min)
Long-term care isn’t one product. Three different structures address the same risk, and each does a different job. This walkthrough shows how to design the care need first and compare all three side by side.
Three structures, three jobs
Traditional LTC: care first. Built to help pay for qualifying long-term care under the contract. Compare it when the main goal is transferring the cost of care.
Linked benefit: care plus legacy. Combines LTC benefits with another benefit, usually life insurance. How much care is available, how using care affects the death benefit, and what remains if care is never needed all depend on the contract. The client usually says something like, “I want care protection, and I want something left if I never use it.”
Life with a chronic illness or LTC rider: life first. The client is buying permanent life insurance. The rider may let them access part of the death benefit while living if they meet the rider’s definition. The client usually says, “I need permanent life anyway. Can it help if I need care?”
These are planning categories, not legal definitions, and some products fall in between. Always read the contract rather than relying on a label.
What you need before you start
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Monthly benefit target
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Inflation protection preference
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Benefit period
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Marital status
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Premium mode and pay period
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State
The click path
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Set the monthly benefit. The walkthrough uses $5,100 a month with 3% compound inflation and a four-year benefit period.
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Compare inflation options (0% to 5% compound where offered) and benefit periods (up to unlimited where offered).
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Choose a pay period: single pay, limited pay, pay to 65, or lifetime, where available.
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Review results across all three structures.
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Adjust solve options and open the product guide PDF as needed.
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Continue into the application.
What to get right on the call
Size the benefit from real costs, not a round number. Use the Care Scout link in the workflow to see current home care, adult day, assisted living, and nursing home costs where the client lives. Then think about what that care will cost in 15 to 20 years, when the client is more likely to need it.
Don’t pick the lowest premium automatically. Compare what the client actually gets: monthly benefit, duration, inflation protection, death benefit, and how the rider works.
Expect rider designs to return a different benefit than your target. Rider-based designs build the care benefit from the death benefit, so the result can differ significantly from the monthly amount you entered. Use the solve options and the product guide to close the gap. What appears on screen is a design to evaluate, not a recommendation.
After you submit
The application follows the same flow: contact info, ownership, beneficiaries, underwriting questions, and e-signature. Then the case moves into BOSS, where case management handles requirements and carrier follow-up.
Already with BackNine? Run one now. Click Launch Quote & Apply at the top of BOSS. If a client is worried about retirement assets being spent on care, or about family members having to provide or pay for it, send us the situation and we’ll compare structures with you.
Not with BackNine yet?
Quote, apply, and track the case without building a second workflow.
Licensed agents and advisors get Quote & Apply, digital applications, BOSS for case and commission tracking, and BackNine case management behind every submission. No fees. No production minimums.
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