Long-Term Care Planning
Long-Term Care Planning in Kennewick and the Tri-Cities
The Real Cost of Long-Term Care in Washington State
Most retirees underestimate what long-term care actually costs — and overestimate what the state program covers. Here are the facts.
Memory care in the Tri-Cities region averages $7,000–$9,000 per month. The WA Cares Fund provides a $36,500 lifetime maximum — approximately four to five months of care. For most retirees who need extended care, the fund covers the beginning of the need and nothing more. The remaining months — often years — come out of retirement savings unless a plan is in place.
Mark Rogers, Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) and Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF), has spent more than 20 years helping eastern Washington retirees build long-term care funding strategies that account for the real cost of care in this region. The CLTC designation is specific to long-term care planning, and it is the credential that matters most for this conversation. If you want to understand your options before you schedule anything, the
Talking Turning 65 podcast covers long-term care costs, funding strategies, and WA Cares Fund gaps in plain English — free, any time.
Long-term care planning and Medicare coordination are connected decisions. Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing care after a hospital stay — it does not cover custodial care, assisted living, or memory care. Understanding exactly what Medicare covers before you plan for long-term care changes what you need to fund.
How We Fund Long-Term Care: Three Approaches
Long-Term Care Insurance
Traditional long-term care insurance provides a monthly benefit for qualifying care expenses — home care, assisted living, adult day care, or memory care — up to a stated daily or monthly maximum and benefit period. Premiums are based on age and health at the time of application, which means the earlier the coverage is secured, the lower the cost. Benefits typically activate after a 90-day elimination period once a physician certifies inability to perform two of six activities of daily living.
Short-Term Care Insurance
Short-term care insurance covers 30 to 360 days of qualifying care — recovery from surgery, rehabilitation, or a bridge period before long-term care benefits activate. It carries simpler underwriting, lower premiums, and fills a gap that neither Medicare nor traditional long-term care insurance covers cleanly. For retirees who do not qualify medically for traditional LTC insurance or who want a lower-cost entry point into care funding, short-term care is an option very few advisors discuss. We do.
For more on short-term care insurance options, visit Next35Years.com →
Long-Term Care with Annuities
Annuity-based long-term care riders double or triple the monthly benefit for qualifying care expenses. If care is never needed, the unused benefit passes to named beneficiaries as a death benefit — the funding is not lost. This hybrid structure eliminates the use-it-or-lose-it concern of traditional LTC insurance and makes long-term care coverage part of a broader retirement income strategy rather than a separate premium obligation.
For deeper annuity and LTC rider content, visit the Annuities page.
The Plan That Protects You — and Your Family
Long-term care is not just a financial planning problem. It is a family planning problem. Without a funded care plan, adult children become default caregivers — absorbing the financial, physical, and emotional weight of a role they were never asked to take on.
A long-term care plan creates a dedicated pool of funds for care expenses, removing both the financial and logistical burden from family members regardless of how long care is needed. It is one of the most direct ways to protect your independence and protect your family at the same time.
Why Tri-Cities Families Trust Us With This Decision
"I live on a small farm in eastern Washington. My clients are my neighbors. That is not a marketing line — it is just the truth."
— Mark Rogers, CLTC, LUTCF
Mark Rogers holds the Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) designation — the credential specific to this planning area. We work with major carriers across annuity and insurance products. Every long-term care recommendation is built around your health, your age, your existing assets, and the real cost of care in eastern Washington — not a national average.
Every recommendation begins with your situation. If a product fits, we will tell you why. If it does not, we will tell you that too.
Meet our team and learn more about how we work.
Long-Term Care Planning Questions — Answered Directly
How much does long-term care cost in Washington state?
Memory care in the Tri-Cities area averages $7,000–$9,000 per month. Assisted living runs $4,000–$6,000 per month. Home care commonly reaches $4,000–$6,000 per month for part-time in-home assistance. A multi-year care event — the median duration of long-term care need is approximately three years — can consume $150,000–$300,000 or more in retirement savings without a funded plan in place.
What is the difference between long-term care and short-term care insurance?
Long-term care insurance covers extended care needs — typically triggered after a 90-day elimination period when a physician certifies inability to perform two of six activities of daily living. Short-term care insurance covers 30 to 360 days of qualifying care with simpler underwriting and lower premiums. Short-term care fills gaps that neither Medicare nor traditional long-term care insurance covers cleanly and is a meaningful option for retirees who want entry-level care funding without the full cost of a traditional LTC policy.
Can an annuity pay for long-term care expenses?
Yes. Many fixed indexed annuities include long-term care riders that double or triple the monthly benefit for qualifying care expenses — home care, assisted living, or memory care. If care is never needed, the unused benefit passes to named beneficiaries as a death benefit. This hybrid structure eliminates the use-it-or-lose-it concern of traditional long-term care insurance.
Does Medicare cover long-term care?
Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing care following a qualifying hospital stay — up to 100 days, with significant cost-sharing after day 20. It does not cover custodial care, assisted living, memory care, or ongoing home care for chronic conditions. Planning for the gap between what Medicare covers and what care actually costs is the central challenge of long-term care planning.
What is a hybrid long-term care annuity and how does it work?
A hybrid long-term care annuity combines a fixed indexed annuity with a long-term care rider. If long-term care is needed, the rider activates and multiplies the available benefit — typically two to three times the contract value — for qualifying care expenses. If care is never needed, the contract value and any remaining benefit pass to named beneficiaries as a death benefit. The hybrid structure means the funding serves a dual purpose: retirement income accumulation and long-term care protection simultaneously.
Serving Long-Term Care Planning Clients Across the Tri-Cities and Eastern Washington
My Safe Money Matters provides long-term care planning and retirement income guidance to residents of Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, Prosser, and West Richland, and communities throughout Benton, Franklin, and Yakima counties. In-person and virtual consultations are both available.
Take the First Step Before You File.
Your Social Security claiming age is one of the most permanent financial decisions you will make. A free 20-minute consultation with Mark Rogers gives you an honest look at your options — with no obligation and no pitch in the first call. Just clarity on where you stand before you decide.
Find Out Where Your Long-Term Care Plan Stands.
A free 20-minute consultation with Mark Rogers gives you an honest look at your long-term care exposure — what the WA Cares Fund covers, what it does not, and what a funded plan looks like for your specific situation.