Florida Long-Term Care Insurance: Costs, Medicaid SMMC-LTC Rules, and Coverage Options

What care costs in Florida

Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey, July–November 2025. The national median for assisted living was $76,200. Costs vary within the state, often running higher in large metro areas.

Florida Medicaid long-term care

• Program: long-term care is provided through the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (SMMC-LTC) program.
• Asset limit: $2,000 for a single applicant for nursing home Medicaid and home and community-based services.
• Income limit: $2,982 a month for a single applicant in 2026; income-only trusts may help people above it.
• Look-back: 60 months for transfers before applying.
• Waitlists: home and community-based services aren’t an entitlement, so waiting lists may exist.

Source: Medicaid Planning Assistance, June 2026.

Partnership policies in Florida

Florida offers partnership-qualified long-term care policies, which protect assets from Medicaid spend-down equal to the benefits paid. With a $2,000 Medicaid asset limit, that protection can be significant. See how partnership programs work.

Snowbirds and part-year residents

If you split time between Florida and another state, check where you’d receive care and which state’s Medicaid rules would apply. Long-term care policies generally pay wherever you receive covered care in the U.S., but Medicaid eligibility depends on your state of residence.

Example: three years of care in Florida

Illustrative only: three years in a Florida assisted living community at the 2025 median would cost about $201,960, and two years in a private nursing home room about $292,000. A policy paying $5,000 a month for three years would cover about $180,000 of that, helping your savings last long enough to avoid or delay a Medicaid spend-down.

What Medicare won’t pay

Medicare doesn’t cover long-term custodial care, the everyday help with bathing, dressing, and eating that most people need (Medicare.gov). It can cover a skilled nursing facility stay of up to 100 days after a qualifying hospital stay, but in 2026 you pay $217 a day for days 21 through 100 (CMS). For longer care, Florida residents rely on savings, insurance, or Medicaid.

Protections for a spouse at home

Federal rules protect part of a married couple’s assets and income when one spouse needs Medicaid long-term care. For 2026, states protect between $32,532 and $162,660 in assets for the spouse at home, with a monthly income allowance of at least $2,643.75 and up to $4,066.50 (CMS). Each state chooses where within those ranges to set its limits.

Coverage options for Florida residents

• Traditional long-term care insurance: the most care benefit per premium dollar, though premiums can rise.
• Hybrid life and LTC policies: care benefits plus a death benefit if you don’t need care.
• Life insurance riders: use part of a death benefit for care.
• Short-term care insurance: covers a year or less of care, with simpler underwriting.

Premiums for tax-qualified policies can be deductible as medical expenses, up to $4,960 for ages 61 to 70 and $6,200 for 71 and older in 2026 (ElderLawAnswers).

Checklist for Florida residents

1. Estimate care costs where you plan to live.
2. Compare your assets with the $2,000 Medicaid limit and consider how long savings would last.
3. Talk with an elder law attorney before moving assets, because of the five-year look-back.
4. Ask whether a policy is partnership-qualified.
5. If you’re a snowbird, decide which state is your legal residence.

Florida long-term care FAQs

Related guides

• Long-term care insurance
• Long-term care costs
• How to pay for long-term care
• Partnership programs
• Hybrid life and LTC insurance
• Life insurance riders

Your next step

Tell us about your plans, and a licensed agent will compare Florida long-term care options.