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Private Long-Term Care Insurance and the Asset Protection Motive

^a Address correspondence to Jennifer M. Mellor, Assistant Professor of Economics, The College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795. E-mail:

Vernon L. Greene, PhD

This research examined the role of assets in the decision to purchase insurance for long-term care using survey data from the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) study. Previous research suggests that assets matter, but the size and direction of the effect varies. An important issue regarding the role of assets has not been explored adequately—whether the effect of assets differs between less wealthy and very wealthy individuals. A methodology to control for this type of variation is employed in this analysis. Results suggest that increases in assets have the greatest influence on the probability that less wealthy individuals own long-term care insurance, and have a negligible impact on the wealthy. This has important implications for policies designed to increase long-term care insurance ownership.

Key Words: Nursing home care • Public–private partnerships