Retired Couples Need $85,000 To Cover Annual Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums, Study Finds

A 65-year-old couple needs $85,000 on average to cover annual premiums for long-term care insurance through retirement, according to a study released Thursday by Fidelity Investments, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. For the study, Fidelity surveyed insurers offering long-term care policies.

The estimate, the first conducted by Fidelity for long-term care insurance, supplements a survey released in March that found couples retiring this year would need $225,000 in savings to cover total medical costs in retirement. The costs for long-term care insurance, which covers visits by caregivers or stays in a nursing home, are in addition to the $225,000.

Joan Bloom, Fidelity senior vice president for its life insurance group, said people should consider purchasing a long-term care plan in their 50s because they generally cost less if purchased earlier in life. About five million U.S. residents are enrolled in long-term care policies, Bloom said (Jewell, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 6/26).