LTC Non-qualified Plans

Long-term care (LTC) non-qualified plans are LTC insurance policies that do not meet the criteria set by the federal government to qualify for tax benefits. These policies are offered by insurance companies to cover the costs of long-term care services, such as nursing home care, home health care, and adult day care.

Here are some key features of LTC non-qualified plans:

• Premiums are not tax-deductible: Unlike qualified plans, premiums paid for non-qualified LTC insurance policies are not tax-deductible.

• Benefits are tax-free: The benefit payments received from a non-qualified LTC insurance policy are not subject to federal income tax.

• No minimum benefit requirements: Non-qualified plans do not have to meet minimum benefit requirements like qualified plans do. This allows for more flexibility in designing policies to meet specific needs.

• No inflation protection required: Qualified LTC plans must offer inflation protection as an optional rider or built-in feature. Non-qualified plans do not have this requirement.

• No restrictions on benefit triggers: Qualified LTC plans must include certain triggers for benefits, such as the inability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) or cognitive impairment. Non-qualified plans have more flexibility in determining the triggers for benefit payments.

• More relaxed underwriting: Non-qualified plans often have more relaxed underwriting requirements than qualified plans, making them easier to obtain for those with pre-existing health conditions. However, this may result in higher premiums.

Next Up

Vision is the most commonly offered ancillary benefit in employer-sponsored plans — 89% of employers offer it nationally, higher than dental, higher than life insurance, and higher than any voluntary benefit. And yet vision is also one of the most underfunded benefits in the market.
Dental benefits are not your largest cost center. For most employers, dental represents a fraction of what medical costs per covered employee annually. But dental is one of the highest visibility benefits in your package: employees use it, notice it, and talk about it. When it’s good, it builds goodwill. When it’s inadequate (low maximums, no orthodontia, zero employer contribution) it registers as a signal that the employer isn’t invested in the total package.
How an employer funds its health plan sits quietly in the background of every benefits decision. Most CHROs and CFOs know their premium cost. Fewer understand the mechanics of how their plan is actually structured: who holds the risk, who administers the claims, how costs flow, and what flexibility, if any, they have to change any of it.