Wisconsin's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) serves as the state's insurance regulator and its designated partner for the Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program, as identified by the Department of Health Services. OCI maintains a consumer-facing long-term-care page and a list of policies approved for sale in Wisconsin, and DHS points to OCI as the go-to resource for insurance-agent licensing questions tied to the Partnership Program.
OCI's current companies list shows which insurers have indicated they offer stand-alone long-term-care policies in Wisconsin. What isn't published, at least in the materials reviewed, is a simple one-line statement confirming every new policy is Partnership-qualified, or a clear open/closed status for Partnership sales generally. That gap means consumers should get written confirmation directly from the insurer and OCI rather than assume a specific policy's Partnership status. When a policy does qualify, benefits paid under it can protect resources and estate value dollar-for-dollar under the active Partnership framework.
Does Wisconsin have a Long-Term Care Partnership program?
Yes. Wisconsin takes part in the Long-Term Care Partnership program created by the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA). DRA Partnership states follow consumer-protection standards drawn from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Long-Term Care Insurance Model Act and Model Regulation. A Partnership-qualified policy gives you dollar-for-dollar asset protection: for every dollar the policy pays in benefits, Wisconsin Medicaid can disregard a dollar of your assets when it decides eligibility, and the same amount is protected from estate recovery after death.
How the protection works (illustrative): if a Partnership policy pays $200,000 in benefits before you apply for Medicaid, Medicaid can disregard $200,000 of your assets on top of the state's regular asset limit, and that same amount is protected from Medicaid estate recovery later.
What makes a policy Partnership-qualified
- It's a tax-qualified long-term care policy under Internal Revenue Code § 7702B.
- It meets the state's Partnership consumer-protection standards and is issued while you're a resident of a Partnership state (each state sets its own start date and residency rule).
- It carries the required inflation protection for your age when you buy: compound annual protection if you're under 61, some level of protection from 61 through 75, and optional protection at 76 or older.
If you move to another state
Wisconsin appears on the New York State Partnership for Long-Term Care's reciprocity map as a Partnership state that honors reciprocity. In general, a Partnership policy bought in another reciprocal state keeps its dollar-for-dollar protection here, and a Wisconsin policy keeps it in other reciprocal states.
The original four: California, Connecticut, Indiana and New York started their Partnership programs before the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Their programs were designed separately from the NAIC-based DRA model, so their rules differ (for example, some offered Total Asset protection), and California doesn't take part in reciprocity. If you bought a policy in one of these states, confirm how it's treated with the Medicaid agency where you'll apply.
Not every insurer offers Partnership-qualified policies in every state. When you compare quotes, ask whether each policy is Partnership-qualified in Wisconsin.
Sources and official resources
- Wisconsin OCI: Consumer's Guide to Long-Term Care
- Wisconsin DHS: Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership
- Wisconsin DHS: Consumer Guide, Long-Term Care Insurance
- New York State Partnership for Long-Term Care: State Partnership Programs and Reciprocity map
- U.S. Code: 42 U.S.C. § 1396p (liens, estate recovery, transfers of assets, Partnership disregard)
Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.