Delaware long-term care insurance: cost & coverage

Who regulates long-term care insurance in Delaware

Long-term care insurance policies sold in Delaware are regulated by the Delaware Department of Insurance. If you have a complaint about an agent, carrier, or policy, you can file it with the regulator directly.

What long-term care costs in Delaware

Median assisted living cost in Delaware vs. the national median:

Source: SeniorLiving.org median assisted living costs, 2026. See costs for all 50 states for the full table.

What each type of care costs in Delaware

Assisted living is only one of the settings people use. Median monthly costs across the main care types in Delaware:

Source: SeniorLiving.org Cost of Care Research (2026)

Delaware's LTC Partnership program

Delaware has an active LTC Partnership program. Delaware joined the federal Long-Term Care Partnership Program in November 2011, providing dollar-for-dollar Medicaid asset protection for qualified policies.

A Partnership-qualified policy lets you keep an extra dollar of assets, protected from Medicaid spend-down, for every dollar your policy pays out in benefits — see the note above for this state's current status. Learn more about how Partnership programs work.

How Delaware treats LTC premiums at tax time

Delaware gives long-term care insurance no deduction or credit of its own. What Delaware does give you is an itemized deduction that mirrors the federal one: under 30 Del. C. § 1109 a resident may deduct the itemized deductions claimed on the federal return. So if you itemize, the federal medical-expense deduction that already covers a tax-qualified long-term care premium — within the IRS age-based limits — flows onto Delaware Form PIT-RSA and cuts your Delaware tax as well. Only medical costs above the form's percentage-of-income floor count, and none of it helps if you take Delaware's standard deduction. Delaware's enumerated credits on Form PIT-CRS include nothing for long-term care.

Source: Delaware Division of Revenue (2025)

This is general information, not tax advice. Confirm your own situation with a tax professional licensed in Delaware.

Medicaid long-term care in Delaware

Delaware's long-term care Medicaid runs through the Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance, and most people who qualify are enrolled in Diamond State Health Plan Plus, a mandatory managed-care program covering nursing facility care plus assisted living, personal care, adult day services, home-delivered meals, respite and home modifications. Qualifying means spending down first. A single applicant's assets cannot exceed $2,000, and gross monthly income above 250% of the SSI standard — $2,485 in 2026 — forces you to set up a Miller Trust. Once you are approved in a nursing facility, Delaware lets you keep just $75 a month for personal needs; the rest of your income goes to the facility, apart from what is protected for a spouse still at home.

Source: Delaware Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance (DHSS) (2026)

Other Delaware long-term care programs

• Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD). Delaware runs in-home services of its own, outside Medicaid, through the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities. Personal care — bathing, dressing, light housekeeping, meals, errands — is open to Delawareans 60 or older, or 18 and older with a physical disability. The separate Attendant Services Program, created by Delaware's Community-Based Attendant Services Act, is self-directed: you hire, supervise and dismiss your own attendant, and the state pays for the background checks. DSAAPD also funds assistive devices and a personal emergency response button, and Delaware's Lifespan Respite Program issues vouchers so a family caregiver can take a break. None of it is an entitlement — the statute funds it "within the limits of appropriations," on an income-based sliding fee — so it supplements coverage rather than replacing it.

How to compare quotes in Delaware

• Confirm any agent or carrier you talk to is currently licensed to sell in Delaware — the Delaware Department of Insurance can confirm licensing status.
• Ask which products a carrier is actively writing in Delaware today — availability changes state by state and year to year. See carriers we compare.
• If a Partnership-qualified policy matters to you, confirm with the carrier or agent whether a policy is currently certified as Partnership-qualified in Delaware — see this state's Partnership status above.
• Compare traditional and hybrid options side by side — see traditional vs. hybrid coverage.
• Get quotes from more than one carrier; pricing for the same coverage can vary significantly.

Please note: Regulator names, complaint channels, and Partnership-program status can change. Confirm current details with the Delaware Department of Insurance or a licensed agent before making any decision. LongTermCareInsurance411 is not a government agency and does not administer Delaware's insurance regulations or Medicaid program.

Last updated: August 22, 2026