---
title: "California Long-Term Care Insurance | Funding LTC Marketplace"
url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/california/long-term-care-insurance/
description: "California regulates LTC insurance through CDI. Its original Partnership still protects existing policyholders, but no Partnership insurers sell now."
last_updated: 2026-10-20
author: George A. Mellendorf, CLTC, LTCP (Central States Insurance Services, Inc.)
publisher: Funding LTC Marketplace
note: Educational content; not legal, tax or financial advice. Markdown copy of the HTML page at the URL above.
---
California · LTC Insurance

# California Long-Term Care Insurance

Last updated 2026-10-20

Every long-term-care insurance policy sold in California has to be approved by the California Department of Insurance, which also publishes a consumer rate guide and holds CDI-regulated policies to the state's rate-stabilization and actuarial-review standards. CDI additionally keeps a public rate-increase history available to consumers (CDI, Long Term Care Insurance; CDI, Long Term Care Insurance Rate History).

None of that oversight means premiums are frozen — the Department of Health Care Services confirms that CDI does approve premium increases, including for policies issued under California's own Partnership Program (DHCS, Partnership Premium Increases).

## Does California have a Long-Term Care Partnership program?

**Yes, but no new Partnership policies are being sold right now.** California is one of the four original Partnership states. Its program, the California Partnership for Long-Term Care, is run by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). It began before the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and follows its own rules rather than the NAIC-based DRA model most states use. DHCS says that currently no Partnership-approved insurance companies are selling policies, though non-Partnership long-term care policies are available. Existing California Partnership policies aren't affected.

**No reciprocity:** California doesn't take part in Partnership reciprocity. A Partnership policy bought in another state doesn't receive Partnership asset protection from Medi-Cal, and a California Partnership policy may not be honored by other states.

Because Medi-Cal's asset limit returned on January 1, 2026, the protection a policy can offer matters again. A non-Partnership policy still pays its benefits, which can preserve savings and delay or avoid the need for Medi-Cal.

## Sources and official resources

- [California Department of Insurance: Long-Term Care Insurance](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/7-ltc/)
- [DHCS: California Partnership for Long-Term Care](https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/individuals/california-partnership-for-long-term-care/)
- [DHCS: Medi-Cal Changes (asset limits)](https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/medi-cal/updates/medi-cal-changes/)
- [New York State Partnership for Long-Term Care: State Partnership Programs and Reciprocity map](https://nyspltc.health.ny.gov/reciprocitymap.htm)
- [U.S. Code: 42 U.S.C. § 1396p (liens, estate recovery, transfers of assets, Partnership disregard)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1396p)

Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.

[← Back to the full California guide](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/california/)