District of Columbia long-term care insurance: cost & coverage

Who regulates long-term care insurance in District of Columbia

Long-term care insurance policies sold in District of Columbia are regulated by the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB). 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 District of Columbia

Median assisted living cost in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia

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

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

District of Columbia's LTC Partnership program

District of Columbia does not currently have an active LTC Partnership program. DC has not implemented a federal Long-Term Care Partnership program; it is one of the small number of jurisdictions (with Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Utah, and Vermont) without one, so no Partnership-program reciprocity applies for residents moving into the District.

Without a Partnership-qualified policy, benefits paid out don't create extra Medicaid asset protection. Learn more about how Partnership programs work and which states currently have one.

How District of Columbia treats LTC premiums at tax time

Washington, D.C. does levy an income tax, but it no longer gives long-term care insurance a break of its own. The District of Columbia once allowed a deduction for long-term care premiums under D.C. Code § 47-1803.03(b-1); a 2015 amendment limited it to "taxable years beginning before January 1, 2015," and the subsection now reads simply "Repealed." The District's current D-40 individual income tax booklet mentions long-term care insurance nowhere and offers no credit for it. D.C. itemized deductions start from your federal Schedule A total and subtract state and local income taxes, so premiums you could already claim as federal medical expenses flow through that way — but there is no separate District deduction.

Source: D.C. Law Library — D.C. Official Code § 47-1803.03 (2026)

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

Medicaid long-term care in District of Columbia

Long-term care in the District of Columbia is paid for through DC Medicaid, run by the Department of Health Care Finance. Eligibility for long-term care services and supports has two halves. The non-financial half covers age or disability, U.S. citizenship or other qualified status, District residency, and a level-of-care score produced by DHCF's face-to-face long-term care assessment, which a registered nurse administers. The financial half looks at your income and your assets and is decided by the Department of Human Services' Economic Security Administration. Care can be delivered at home, in the community through the Elderly and Persons with Physical Disabilities waiver, or in a facility. The District's own insurance regulator warns plainly that DC Medicaid requires very low income and assets.

Source: DC Department of Health Care Finance (2026)

Other District of Columbia long-term care programs

• Safe at Home. The District of Columbia runs Safe at Home, a Department of Aging and Community Living program that installs in-home fall-prevention adaptations — handrails, grab bars, bathtub cuts, shower seats and stair lifts — for District residents age 60 and older and adults 18 and over living with a disability. Income qualification is a maximum of $99,600 for an individual or $113,850 for a household of two, with additional eligibility requirements. Those ceilings sit far above typical Medicaid thresholds, so many middle-income Washington, D.C. households qualify. Safe at Home does not pay for ongoing care, but the falls it prevents are often what starts a long-term care claim.

How to compare quotes in District of Columbia

• Confirm any agent or carrier you talk to is currently licensed to sell in District of Columbia — the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) can confirm licensing status.
• Ask which products a carrier is actively writing in District of Columbia today — availability changes state by state and year to year. See carriers we compare.
• 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 Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) or a licensed agent before making any decision. LongTermCareInsurance411 is not a government agency and does not administer District of Columbia's insurance regulations or Medicaid program.

Last updated: August 22, 2026