Long-term health insurance is often assumed to be only for “older” people. However, there may be compelling reasons why it makes sense to buy long-term health insurance at an earlier age:

• People younger than 65 years old may end up needing long-term care. Some estimates state that 43 percent of people under 65 could have a use for this insurance.
• Long-term care policies can change in a matter of years and, usually, the new policies are more expensive. This trend has continued over time.
• People are living longer, which is increasing the cost of health care and long-term care. If you end up with a long-term health issue, you may have to fund your care and treatments for a number of years, due to increased life expectancy.

Additionally, your health may decline or change as you age. If you delay purchasing long-term health insurance and your health changes:

• Your premiums for this insurance could increase.
• You may be denied insurance coverage (if you become ill before purchasing insurance).

Given the likelihood that you may need long-term care later in your life, it may make good sense to purchase long-term health insurance as early as possible. You should consider two things before making this commitment:

• You should be sure you can afford the premiums.
• You should be sure you can steadily and consistently make payments over a long period of time. This is a long term commitment.

Middle age may well be the best of both worlds when you are trying to make a decision about committing to long-term health insurance. You have a better possibility of affording the premiums than when you are younger, and you are close enough to the time in life when the probability of needing this insurance is significant enough to make the insurance a worthwhile investment. To learn more, visit the AARP Web site, and read the article about the basics of long-term health insurance.