The Honest Picture Before You Start
Roughly 70 percent of people turning 65 will need some form of long-term care. In Washington, the average nursing home runs over $13,000 a month. Medicare covers a maximum of 100 days. WA Cares covers up to $36,500 lifetime — roughly 2 to 3 months of nursing home care.
The gap between those numbers and what extended care actually costs is the conversation most Western Washington families have not had. Not because they do not care. Because nobody told them early enough that planning was the job.
If there were a 70 percent chance your house would burn down, you would insure it. The same math applies here.
What It Costs in Washington
Real 2026 care costs for Western Washington. Nursing home, assisted living, in-home care, and memory care — with the math that shows what WA Cares covers and what it doesn’t.
See the numbers →WA Cares and the Gap
WA Cares is Washington’s first-in-the-nation LTC benefit. This page shows exactly where it ends and where your planning begins — including a free calculator.
Calculate your gap →Planning Options
Three approaches to LTC planning in Washington — insurance, self-insuring, and combination. What each costs, when each works, and what closes the window on your options.
Explore options →Protecting Your Spouse
The spouse who stays home faces the greatest financial risk in a care event. What Washington couples need to know about the Medicaid rules, WA Cares, and the planning conversation.
Learn more →Washington Medicaid Rules
What Apple Health covers, the spend-down limits, the five-year look-back, and why the planning window matters more than most people realize until it’s too late.
Understand the rules →Family Caregivers
63 million Americans provide unpaid care. WA Cares can now pay family members — including spouses — to provide care. Here’s what’s available and what planning makes possible.
Learn more →LTC Insurance Options
Traditional LTC insurance, hybrid life policies, and annuity-based options — explained for Washington residents without product recommendations. What each does and when each makes sense.
See the options →Free LTC Planning Review
A 15-minute conversation to understand where you stand. No agenda, no products, no pressure. Just clarity on what your planning picture actually looks like in Washington.
Book a free call →Not Sure Where to Start? Start Here.
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Most responses arrive within one business day. In the meantime, explore the sections above to see which dimension of long-term care planning is most relevant to your situation.
A Note on Timing
The families who navigate long-term care well are not the ones who moved fastest. They are the ones who started early enough to have real options.
If you are reading this in your late 50s or early 60s, you are in the planning window. Long-term care insurance requires you to be insurable. Asset protection strategies require years of lead time. WA Cares is a first layer, not a finished plan.
The earlier the conversation, the more choices remain available. The later it happens, the fewer. The goal of this section is to make sure that when the time comes, the conversation has already happened.
Book a Free LTC Planning Review →Frequently Asked Questions
Does Medicare cover long-term care in Washington State?
Medicare does not cover long-term custodial care — the ongoing help with bathing, dressing, eating, and daily activities that most people who need long-term care actually need. Medicare covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing care after a qualifying hospital stay, with a $217 daily copay for days 21 through 100. After 100 days, Medicare pays nothing.
What is WA Cares and is it enough for long-term care in Washington?
WA Cares is Washington's public long-term care insurance program, the first of its kind in the country. Benefits began July 1, 2026. The lifetime benefit is $36,500, indexed to inflation. At Washington nursing home rates of over $13,000 per month, $36,500 covers approximately 2 to 3 months of care. WA Cares is a meaningful first layer. It is not a complete plan for most care scenarios.
When should I start planning for long-term care in Washington?
The best time to start is while you are healthy and insurable — typically in your late 50s to mid-60s. Two things close the planning window: health, because insurance requires medical underwriting, and time, because Washington's Medicaid five-year look-back rule means asset protection strategies must be set up years in advance. The earlier the conversation, the more options remain available.
How much does long-term care cost in Washington State in 2026?
Washington care costs run approximately 30 percent above the national average. In 2026, a private nursing home room averages $13,700 to $14,300 per month. Assisted living averages approximately $6,100 per month. Full-time in-home care runs $6,000 to $8,000 per month. A three-year nursing home stay in Washington can exceed $500,000 in total cost.
What long-term care planning options are available in Washington?
Washington residents have three broad planning approaches: traditional or hybrid long-term care insurance, self-insuring with personal assets if they are sufficient, or a combination approach using WA Cares as a first layer and supplemental coverage for the gap. Washington also has strong Medicaid spousal protections and unique elder law planning considerations. A free consultation with a local licensed advisor can identify which approach fits your situation.
Does Medicare pay for nursing home care in Washington State?
Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing facility care following a qualifying hospital stay, up to 100 days under specific conditions. It does not pay for long-term custodial care — the ongoing personal care assistance that most nursing home residents receive. After the Medicare-covered period ends, the full cost of nursing home care in Washington falls to the individual, their family, private insurance, or Medicaid if the person qualifies. In 2026, Washington nursing home costs range from approximately $13,700 to $14,300 per month for a private room.
What are the Medicaid rules for long-term care in Washington State?
Washington State Medicaid long-term care assistance (Apple Health) has a $2,000 individual asset limit for single applicants. Married couples have a community spouse resource allowance that allows the at-home spouse to keep up to $162,660 in assets as of 2026. Medicaid uses a five-year look-back period, reviewing asset transfers made in the five years before the application. The family home is often exempt while a spouse is living there but may be subject to estate recovery after death. Medicaid planning requires working with a qualified elder law attorney.
What is the WA Cares Fund and what does it cover?
The WA Cares Fund is Washington State's mandatory long-term care benefit program, funded through a payroll tax. Eligible Washington workers who meet the requirements can access a lifetime benefit of $36,500 (indexed to inflation) to pay for qualifying long-term care services. The fund began paying benefits in July 2026. At current Washington long-term care costs of approximately $13,700 to $14,300 per month for nursing home care, the WA Cares lifetime benefit covers approximately two to three months. The gap between the benefit and actual long-term care costs is the central planning challenge for Washington households.
How does long-term care planning protect a spouse in Washington?
When one spouse requires long-term care, the financial impact on the at-home spouse — sometimes called spousal impoverishment — is a real risk. Washington Medicaid rules include community spouse resource allowance protections that allow the at-home spouse to keep up to $162,660 in assets as of 2026. Long-term care insurance or hybrid life and care products can provide additional protection by funding care costs without requiring a spend-down of marital assets to Medicaid eligibility levels. Planning before a care event begins significantly increases the options available to both spouses.
At what age should Washington residents start planning for long-term care?
Long-term care insurance and hybrid life and care products are most affordable and accessible in the late 50s and early 60s. Health qualification becomes more difficult and premiums increase significantly with age. The ideal planning window for most Washington households is between 55 and 65, before health conditions that could affect insurability arise. Waiting until a care need exists or until health has declined often means insurance options are no longer available. A long-term care planning review typically begins with a cost and coverage analysis, not a product recommendation.