Here’s a tool you can use and is free for residents of Washington State.  It is a worksheet  from the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors that help consumers with long term health care insurance.  This worksheet helps individuals in Washington State by suggesting areas of interest they should pursue when comparing rates between companies. (If you want the ultimate consumer buying guide the please check out insider’s secrets to LTCi)

Before you call an insurance agent for quotes you’ll need to have information so they can actually determine a quote for the coverage.  (As a side-note the consumer buying guide points out that it’s not about how much you’re paying for the insurance it’s about what you get for what you pay, to learn more read the guide).

Some of the basic information an agent will need is….

• The age of the person who wants the long term health care insurance coverage.
• The state of health of the insured.
• The type of coverage needed.
• The maximum coverage provided.

Once you have a quote you can easily call other companies - but once again, as an ex-agent I am warning you that you must understand what you are purchasing.   Armed with this information you can at least begin understanding what your premiums will be.  If you want to understand how the policies work then you’ll want to read the guide to long term health care insurance.